Philippines Books

John Zuke, a long time expat resident of Moal Boal, Cebu, was murdered last weekend. Driving home from a trip to Cebu City, John was shot in the head and killed by an assassination team on a motorcycle. While the murder is under investigation it is unwise to speculate on the reason why he was murdered. However, as is nearly always the case in these matters, John was involved in disputes over land and property he had invested in with his estranged wife.

The best advice we can offer is to stay out of business deals involving locals, especially well connected ones. Even if you win the court case the chances of recovering the monies awarded are slim to none. While I didn’t know the deceased personally, it has been my experience that most foreigners killed in the Philippines were heavily involved in local affairs, either financial or political. Those expats who keep out of local issues never seem to have any problems. The same goes for those who remain faithful to their Filipina wives, don’t lend out money, don’t ‘flash their cash’ and basically keep a lowish profile.