EDITORIAL - 5th riskiest city

Whether in terms of natural disasters, personal safety, health or digital security, Manila has been ranked as the world’s fifth riskiest city for tourists, in a list that includes 60 international cities. The rankings were drawn up by Forbes Advisor, a global platform that helps people make informed financial decisions.

Manila shares the dubious distinction with the worst ranked, Caracas in Venezuela, which registered the highest risks in health security, crime and worst travel safety rating from the US State Department. Karachi in Pakistan was rated as the second worst, followed by Myanmar’s former capital Yangon and Lagos in Nigeria.

Among the key metrics for the rankings are crime and personal security, health security, infrastructure, natural disaster and digital security risks. Manila posed the highest risk in terms of natural disasters, the fifth highest in terms of personal security and seventh highest in terms of health security.

The health security metric assesses the quality of health care services. Personal security includes risks of criminality, violence and terrorist attacks.

It’s no coincidence that the cities deemed safest for tourists are also among the consistent top global travel destinations: Singapore followed by Japan’s capital Tokyo. Toronto in Canada came in third.

In terms of natural disasters, the Philippines is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire and is visited regularly by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country also serves as a welcome mat for tropical cyclones emanating from the Pacific Ocean, which cause torrential flooding even in Metro Manila. Japan, however, also sits along the Ring of Fire, but has among the world’s most sophisticated disaster preparedness and mitigation systems. This is where Manila is still found lacking.

In terms of health security, Manila is home to the country’s biggest and most advanced health care facilities, but even residents find health care services still inadequate. As for personal safety, both Filipinos and foreigners, notably Chinese nationals, have been targeted for ransom kidnapping, armed robbery and torture.

The Forbes Advisor ranking merely affirms what Filipinos already know, and should spur the agencies concerned to do better. With such problems, it will be tough for tourists to love the Philippines.