Canada travel advisory for Mindanao inaccurate – NSA

Inviting Canadian authorities to a dialogue to clear things up, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año yesterday expressed his disagreement with Canada’s recent travel advisory warning its citizens against traveling to some parts of Mindanao.

“We note the recent travel advisory issued by the Canadian government for several provinces in Mindanao. While we appreciate their concern for the safety and security of Canadian citizens, we wish to express our disagreement with the basis and scope of the advisory,” he said in a statement.

“We invite representatives from the Canadian government to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Philippine authorities to better understand the context and nuances of the security situation. Such discussions will help ensure that travel advisories accurately reflect the current conditions in the Philippines,” he added.

The travel advisory dated Jan. 10 raises concerns about crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping in parts of Mindanao, categorizing them as “avoid all travel” and “avoid non-essential travel.”

Año said the peace situation in the Philippines has greatly improved after its ranking dropped to 18th in the Global Terrorism Index last year and 115th in the 2023 Global Peace Index.

He added that the Bangsamoro Organic Act and other government initiatives significantly reduced violent incidents in Mindanao.

“(President Marcos) has also announced there are no longer active CPP-NPA guerrilla fronts in Mindanao and we were able to neutralize 1,399 communist and local terrorist groups all over the country. In December 2023, we arrested one of the suspects in the weekend bombing of the Mindanao State University gymnasium which is currently the only major incident in the past few years,” he noted.