An uncomfortable sensation betrayed my enthusiastic steps out of Cotabato City airport only minutes after stepping off the plane. I've heard a lot of nasty things about this city. The sort that advises you not to go out walking alone, alongside other hysteria propagated heavily by the mainstream media. When my girlfriend Lauren and I eventually ventured outside, we were startled by dozens of marines holding their positions—armed with long rifles, standing on guard with alert eyes concealed behind their black rip-off Oakley sunglasses—with the type of intense glare you can feel at the back of your mind. I nodded to one of them, and a number of them returned my grin.