Canadian embassy owes Mindanawons explanation on ‘harsh’ travel advisories

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews) – The Embassy of Canada to the Philippines owed Mindanawons an explanation regarding its travel advisories that depicted the entire island as “unsafe,” a business leader said Monday.

Asserting that the peace and order, as well as the security, conditions in Mindanao have improved, Antonio S. Peralta, executive director of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) – Southern Mindanao, questioned the basis of the Canadian embassy in advising its citizens against traveling to almost all parts of Mindanao.

He said the foreign embassy should have been more cautious by taking inputs from Philippine government officials before releasing a travel advisory, which may only discourage potential investments and prevent tourists from visiting places in Mindanao.

“What we would like to know is to get to the bottom of it – how do you do your advisories? Are you basing it entirely on hearsay? if hearsay, you are not far from fake news if it is not really verified,” he told the “Kapehan sa Dabaw.”

He said none of the ECCP members and foreign chambers in Mindanao, as well as the consular offices in Davao City, have raised any concerns about the prevailing peace and order condition of the island.

Peralta noted that foreign consulates would have not opened in Davao “if they perceive Mindanao as dangerous.”

“Are the data sets that they used really current? Or perhaps they were from three or four years ago, or maybe much older because right now what we are seeing is a different Mindanao,” he said.

While foreign governments have the right to do assessment to protect their own citizens, Peralta said it should be done with utmost caution, since travel advisories from foreign embassies would have a “direct impact on the way businesses are being conducted.”

“Because of that kind of advisory, we really think that there is going to be an impact, and what is much more important is the way we are being perceived in Mindanao. If we do not do anything about this, the chances of more (similar) advisories will make it more difficult for us to really get out of that problem, of a negative perception on Mindanao,” he added.

Dr. Adrian Tamayo, public relations division chief of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said that a recent monitoring survey on “Peace, Security and Safety on Mindanao” showed a “trust” and “safety rating” of 88% and 86%, respectively.

He said the bases of the Canadian embassy’s travel advisories, including “violent clash,” “does not reflect the real situation on the ground.”

“All recent elements” are pointing that Mindanao is safe, Tamayo said.

He said that MinDA Secretary Maria Belen S. Acosta wants to meet urgently with Canadian Ambassador David Hartman along with the representatives from the government’s security sector.

The date is still being arranged, Tamayo said.

In a statement issued last Sunday, Acosta called the advisory “disheartening.”

Acosta said the facts and conditions cited by the embassy for the issuance of its travel advisories “do not reflect” the real Mindanao, which has enjoyed a promising growth rate of 7.2 percent and low crime rate of 14 percent.

“We are disheartened to know of uncomplimentary travel advisories to Mindanao such as the one from the Canadian embassy. The facts and conditions of the travel advisory do not reflect the real Mindanao,” she said.

She emphasized that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. lifted in July 2023 the declaration of state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in Mindanao, citing the “improved peace and order situation in the region.”

In a message sent via Viber on Sunday, Arturo Milan, co-chair of the Regional Development Council-Davao, said that Mindanao is “peaceful and safe to travel even for foreigners.”

“I really don’t know where the adverse travel advisory of Canada is coming from,” he said.

The Canadian embassy advised its citizens to avoid all travels in the Sulu archipelago, particularly Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, due to the “presence of extremist groups, serious threat of attacks, kidnapping, piracy and violent clashes between security forces and rebel groups.”

On the basis of “serious threat of terrorism, kidnapping, high levels of crime, and violent clashes between the security forces and rebel groups,” a similar travel warning was issued against travel to Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao; (North) Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat in Soccsksargen; and Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

It also advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, excluding Siargao Island, and Surigao del Sur in the Caraga region; and Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur (excluding Davao City), Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental in the Davao region. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)