DAVAO CITY – Mindanao is safe and peaceful.
Secretary Maria Belen Acosta, president of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), made this statement as she refuted a recent travel warning issued by the Canadian government that painted the region in a bad light.
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“We are disheartened to learn of the recent advisories from embassies that strongly discourage travel to Mindanao. Many of these advisories do not reflect the current situation in the island region,” Acosta said.
The advisory issued by the Government of Canada on January 10 urged tourists to avoid traveling to the following provinces of Mindanao due to the serious threat of terrorism, kidnapping, high levels of crime and violent clashes between security forces and rebel groups.
The Mindanao provinces mentioned in the council are the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao), Northern Mindanao (Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidentale and Misamis Oriental), Soccsksargen (Cotabato, Sarangani , South Cotabato). and Sultan Kudarat), and the Zamboanga Peninsula (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay).
For Eastern Mindanao, the advisory urges tourists to avoid non-essential travel to the following: Caraga (Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte, except Siargao Island and Surigao del on).
Only Davao City was separated from the negative council. The rest of the Davao Region was included in the council for Eastern Mindanao.
Acosta said that although there may be uncontrolled incidents like any transformation community, these do not warrant serious concerns.
She cited notable gains in the climate of peace and order in the region, such as the lifting of the declaration of the state of national emergency due to the lawless violence in Mindanao by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
She assured that Mindanao is safe for economic and leisure travel.
“Rest assured that we will continue to bring development closer to communities through a whole-of-government approach,” Acosta said.
Where did they get it?
Tony S. Peralta, president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP)-Southern Mindanao Business Council, wondered where the Canadian government got the information when they issued the recent travel advisory.
“The business of creating travel warnings should have input from the government and not be based on their own,” Peralta said.
He added, “These will have a direct impact on the way businesses are conducted. If managers from other countries try to come, they are advised by their company not to do it because they are not covered by their insurance “.
He said that one sector that will feel the impact of the council is the tourism sector.
Peralta stressed that another important factor to consider is the perception of Mindanao if nothing is done to correct these warnings.
“If we don’t do anything about these, chances are more advice will make it harder for us to get out of that negative perception problem,” he said.
Earnings of Peace
Adrian Tamayo, head of public relations of MinDA, said that Mindanao is currently experiencing the gains of peace, in stark contrast to the way the travel advisory portrays the region.
“The best evidence of the gains of peace is the reduction of poverty due to the fact that there are no IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) around. Because there are no more IDPs, no bakwits, they find their ways, exercising their freedom, exercising their right to live,” Tamayo said.
Another evidence is the quarterly peace, safety and security monitoring survey in Mindanao.
He said that in the most recent survey conducted in Caraga, the ranking of peace, safety and security was 88 percent. He said the safest places in the Caraga Region were in the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Dinagat Islands.
“If we can remember that Agusan del Sur before was a rebel-infested area, when we did the study here, people said they are moving towards the side of the government,” Tamayo said.
Another evidence is that young people across Mindanao, who could easily be influenced to violent extremism, now, based on their study, want to work and find jobs.
“These young people now have those thoughts because they don’t want conflict anymore,” Tamayo said.
He said that Mindanao business leaders and government officials, especially from the security sector, will make their respective statements regarding the travel advisory where the conditions that led to the advisory negative are non-existent.
Tamayo said one of the urgent priorities of MinDA Sec. Acosta will meet with Canadian Ambassador David Hartman to discuss the travel advisory. PIA DAVAO
