Emphasize why it’s impossible to have peace with Muslims. Thus why Mindanao (with its 24% percentage of Muslims versus nearly 0% outside of Mindanao) isn’t the optimal choice for most Christians.

Philippine government has attempted a peace process with the Muslims, but the Muslims break into factions because they’re jealous of their own leaders. Islam is the concept of an omnipotent Allah that can fix any sin or mistake, vacating the requirement for self-discipline and asceticism. Muslims covet. Whereas covetousness and surety are criticized in the Bible. The Christian God isn’t omnipotent and thus requires our correct actions being compatible with science and progress of humanity. Because otherwise in Christianity humans have the free will to completely destroy themselves. And negentropic, holier-than-thou atheists misinterpret as the Christian God being evil because even with their self-claimed “152+ I.Q.” they’re incapable of understanding.

It’s fascinating to read what I wrote in 2009 on the progenitor of ‘open source’, “152+ I.Q.” (c.f. also §Thucydides Trap of this blog) @Eric S. Raymond’s blog, and realize hence entirely vindicated, c.f. also! I was so astutely on point! @Jessica Boxer commented:

[…] The essence of science is not truth but predictive power […] You pollute the minds of school children with nonsense […] Thank god for the enlightenment. No, no, sorry, thank men for the enlightenment.

@Jim blogged in The Enlightenment debunked:

• All men are not equal, nor women equal to men, nor groups and categories of men equal to each other.
• Nor is man by nature good. In the cold and morally neutral terminology of the dark enlightenment, the natural outcome is defect-defect, and avoiding this outcome, getting to cooperate-cooperate, becomes more and more difficult as the number of people that you have to deal with increases. It takes social institutions, and to deal with these ever larger scales, these institutions have to be ever more finely honed and precisely made, and are ever more vulnerable to entropy and error.

[…]

Tolerance is not extended to the “intolerant” meaning not extended to those who prefer to cooperate with people who are cooperative, and who prefer to refrain from cooperating with those who defect […] Civilization is the advance of technical and scientific knowledge, and most importantly, social organization […] the devaluation and abandonment of the roots of Western Civilization. Our Cathedrals are empty and abandoned.

@Jim blogged in Fixing Christianity:

[…] Europe was saved, and indeed formed, by the Roman Catholic Church under the holy Roman Emperor, and we got World Empire, Science, and Industrialization […] Today’s progressives are holier than God puritans, who have dumped God for insufficient holiness […] A wall against terrorists would admit the truth about tribalism […] Speaking the truth about women is more terrible by far than driving trucks into nativity scenes to crush the people there […] Proofs of God are not interesting, because they can at most prove the existence of a God vast, cold, indifferent, and far away […] a God that is excessively vast and powerful, the God of Muslims and Jews, is inimical to science and technology. Notice the total non contribution of Muslims and orthodox Jews to science […] God has omniscience, but we have true choices and free will. Notice how the Muslims fail to get stuff done, because they always say “I will do such and such, God willing”, whereas a Christian will say “I will do such and such” […]

Muslims prefer fighting and stealing to cooperation and disciplined hard work. The only good Muslim is a bad Muslim
and Yes, we are at war with Islam. Instead of accepting that prosperity via peace and some leaders, working hard to better their position within such, they’d prefer to fracture between themselves into warring, self-important, entitled, covetous factions. Mohammad’s two sons were the genesis warring factions (Shi'ite and Sunni) of the Islamic faith. Muslims will never accept that some land title holder is the rightful owner. They’ll find a way to force to dispossess private property. It's a common theme even in non-Muslim Philippines yet at least egregiously so in Mindanao. The story of a foreigner who made a successful beach resort in southern Mindanao and the mayor demanded (paraphrased), “sell me your resort for $1 or I will kill you.” Foreigner refused so dead. Mindanao is dominated by warlordism and corrupt political dynasties, e.g. the Maguindanao massacre.

To some extent everywhere in the Philippines Filipinos tend to be corrupted by their lazy habits. Which is a reason to invest only where the Filipino middle-class is growing and where significant numbers of other foreigners have successfully invested, e.g. this Ambassador Suites in Angeles City where I’m currently staying which was built in 2012 by two elderly Swiss. Presumably the property title is held in a corporation majority owned by the wife of one of them, the foreigners own the buildings and may have a 50 year lease on the land from the posited corporation. Before President Duterte they encountered corrupt police and/or local government officials asking for bribes. Some of the guys and even young boys around Angeles City seem quite aggressive. Not claiming that all the C. Luzon Filipinos are as respectful and educated as the ones I had a good experience with in the SM Clark mall. A significant undercurrent of poverty hangs around (everywhere in the Philippines).

Davao has some of these attributes (i.e. growing middle-class, other foreigners have invested) but it’s an enclave surrounded by problems — a backwater culturally that so far doesn’t have enough concentration of foreign investment and interest to sustain the culture of a “little America” or even “little Korea”. Ayala Land has a concentrated investment around their Abreeza mall complex in Davao, which is a drastic improvement. But outside of that, not much else. Still no bridge to Samal Island unlike the two bridges (soon to be three) from Cebu City to Mactan island. Maybe infrastructure in Davao will accelerate and eventually become a sufficient for me, but I don’t have time to wait (54.5 years old), to endure the snarled mess of the infrastructure build out phase, nor am I confident that Mindanao won’t regress due to the Muslim problem. Meanwhile Luzon is also advancing so it may be so much better than it is now by the time Davao reaches the bare minimum of what I want now.

Only some parts of N. Mindanao and Bukidnon (e.g. where the significant Christian Cebuanos andDole plantation and cattle farming Americans originally migrated to) have very low percentage of Muslims:

I’d be interested in the Manolo Fortich area if foreigners have an incentive to invest there. Why would they instead of the ostensibly insurmountable Schelling point of Angeles City/Clark. There’s no airport nor decongested toll roads in Bukidnon. Must to travel to Cagayan de Oro over congested, free public access roads. Though Bukidnon’s elevation provides a cool, refreshing climate. The non-toll, alternative Talakag-Lantapan-Aglayan Road is now fully concreted:

That road above used to be like when I drove it many years ago:

Another short-cut Kapalong-Talaingod-Valencia City road is now passable:

Jim has a honeymoon admiration of his visit(s) to Mindanao. Reality sinks in after being in a place for several months. He raves about the very unhealthy Filipino bread. Jim has a severe weight problem (self described Jabba the Hutt) and can’t stare down pizza and soft drinks. I’m much happier so far in Angeles City/Clark with much more Americanized activities, modern investments, infrastructure, American and other foreign foods. He seems to think Mindanao has less whores, which is probably true as Davao has no nightlife for foreigners. Whores aren’t a problem for me. Livens up the place. Is indicative of foreign interest and investment in the area. The roads around Clark SM (leading towards Friendship Gate entrance of the Clark Freeport Zone) are very wide, modern, not overcrowded.

No doubt that Angeles City has crime also. In October 2016, a Korean was kidnapped and killed by the police but this isn’t deterring Korean businessmen, because the advantages outweigh the slight risk. Note the alleged mastermind was allowed to post bail this year.

Duterte tells Korean businessmen: Slap, kick abusive PH gov't personnel.

It’s still not wise to be a known wealthy person in the Philippines. Should have armed security guards. Following recalls my experience of the Angeles City police driving me to the garbage dump after my eye had been bludgeoned out (presumably to kill me or extort me but I jumped out the window of the police car):

https://www.rappler.com/nation/159470-angeles-police-chief-relieved-koreans

In the letter, Kwon called Uyami’s attention to an incident involving two Koreans and Angeles City policemen.

“Last 30 December 2016 at around 6:30PM, the police officers raided the house of Koreans located along Apo Street, Friendship Plaza for allegedly operating an illegal online gambling,” the South Korean embassy official said.

Kwon said the Koreans “were brought in the ‘police station’ and were placed in the firing range where the police officers indiscriminately fired several gun shots in order to frighten the Koreans into giving in to their demands.”

“In the end, the Koreans gave them (policemen) P300,000.00 and were released. They were tourists who visited the Philippines for a little leisure such as playing golf,” the minister and consul general disclosed.

Available in the Philippines for security guards or even in the home for personal defense are “M4 type (5.56 NATO) assault rifles and M110 type (7.62 NATO) precision rifles”:

Philippines poised to tighten rules on gun ownership

Published: May 21, 2017
Republic Act 10591 also, for the first time since former President Ferdinand Marcos enforced Martial Law in 1972, allowed qualified Filipinos to legally own civilianised, semi-automatic versions of military weapons such as the M4.

The difference between the military versions is that the latter it can fire in full automatic mode or multiple bullets in a single pull of the trigger, while semi-automatic guns can only fire one round for every press of the trigger.

Rebels, as well as law enforcers, use automatic weapons, while civilians can only be given permits for semi-automatic guns.

But, Duterte, in his speech said, he may order the enforcement on limitations on these high calibre military-style weapons. The restrictions could be implemented even if these guns are not capable of firing in automatic mode such as those in the military and police.

Duterte cited the threat posed by the communist rebels who could steal the guns and use them against law enforcers as was the case in several incidents when insurgents would raid the armouries of mining companies and get the guns of private security guards watching over these establishments.

“The communist rebels are earning money through extortion from mining companies and large plantation owners,” he said.

Before announcing these planned restrictions on sales of certain firearms, Duterte, two weeks ago, prohibited the transport and sale to non-military and police personnel, of ammunition for high powered guns, particularly the 5.56mm and 7.62 calibres.

During the event in Davao City with gun dealers, Duterte said high-powered firearms should not be sold to civilians. He added security guards should not be allowed to own firearms. They can be equipped with shotguns to defend themselves.

Duterte said he has opposed to arming security guards even before with high calibre firearms particularly those who are assigned to far-flung areas because rebels of the New Peoples’ Army often seize those weapons.

If I choose to stay in the Philippines, I will reside within a large (multi-hectares) exclusive compound (hopefully that I manage) with adequate firepower to secure inside the compound against any rogue elements. If we can’t insure the security of foreigners, then only the most pathetic and desperate foreigners will want to come over.

Yet the West will also become much less secure as it collapses into economic devastation. Whereas, the Philippines can only get better as the expanding middle-class demands their government get tough on crime and corruption — diametrically opposed trajectories for future peace and order for Asia versus the West, because of the diametrically opposed future prospect for economic development versus economic devastation.

To feel my 25 year romance with Mindanao skip to 2:30 in following beautiful song after partaking the indigenous drums intro: