The people are so friendly in Philippines that the security checks seem strangely out of place there:

The thorough check of vehicles, even down to the glove compartment.
The sign asking people to leave their firearms outside when they enter buildings.
The necessity to walk through a metal detector everytime I enter the hotel.
The need to show my plane ticket at the airport entrance, before I was allowed to enter the airport (and then being submitted to about 3-4 security checks thereafter).
The removal of my flip-flops for scanning at the airport.

Even so, I think it'll be interesting to visit this country and spend some time getting to know it.