This was one of my apprehensions while I'm overseas. Many Americans are under the idea that the USA will protect you, look into your case, and make efforts to get you freed. This does happen in some cases, but for someone like me, my case would have to go viral to some degree - a cause celebre.

If you get arrested and jailed in the Philippines, you get a visit from someone in the embassy, and a list of attorneys - that's pretty much it. they may help your family communicate with you, but many fellows are estranged from their families. I followed a case of an American who liked trans and was caught with enough shabu (crystal) to be accused of being a dealer. Through another source I found that his attorneys managed to get the evidence tossed out because of a bad evidentiary trail. I was impressed and gave them a retainer.

At one point I was going to write a story on another fellows incarceration. While getting his story, and going over what he considered his mistakes to be, it became clear you should have someone on call - looking for the attorney after your jailed is risky - lotsa not so good attorneys. I didn't know anyone else who did this. I always carefully obeyed the law... Philippine jails are terrible.