Guards.

I used to live in an apartment in Mandaluyong in the early 80's, and some of my young neighbours who were normally good kids  became petty thieves because of  drug addiction.  

So to protect my meagre property, I would line up beer bottles and empty tin cans by the window ledge when I lock up in the evenings to serve as an alarm and to alert me in case an intruder enters my pad.  "Maingay pag bagsak, " I told myself. 

When I moved to North America and lived in a condo, I didn't have any need for beer bottles since a guard was in command and was patrolling the building.

Back in Manila, most subdivisions, villages and condominiums employ guards to protect residents' homes and properties. There are check points at the entry and security guards roam the entire housing/residential complex in the odd hours of the night. 

But such security protocol is no guarantee for safety. Even in the paranoid, first world-class homeland security system, security breach had always occurred.  Just look at the recent incident in a New Jersey airport where a couple casually bypassed security just to get a last minute goodbye kiss. Or the serious case of the Nigerian national who was able to bring explosive materials into a Delta flight during the Holiday season travel rush. 

In most condominiums in Canada, residents are asked to leave a spare key with the Management Office in order for them to gain access into one's unit in cases of emergency or if there's a repair to be made. But residents would still install a second lock to  maintain privacy, and homeowners would put up chain locks and the standard "peep hole" to scrutinize visitors before giving them permission to enter. 

Condominiums also have security cameras that allow residents to see who their visitors are.  And a lot of private homes have sophisticated security systems now which connect to police and fire stations. 

In Manila, it is standard for homes to have double locks or even triple locks and several inside door locks. The ultra rich Pinoys (politicos and those prone to kidnap-for-ransom) have their own private security guards to look after them. 

Philippine security personnel almost always carry firearms, unlike most in North America who only have sticks in their waistlines and whistles in their pockets. 

Our guards don't carry anything at all.