Hiniling ni Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez sa Canada na irekonsidera ang travel advisory nito sa Canadian nationals na iwasan ang pagbiyahe sa Mindanao dahil sa banta sa seguridad.
Partikular dito ang Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen, at Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, gayundin ang non-essential visit sa Caraga at Davao Region.
“We are appealing to the Canadian government, specially my good friend Ambassador David Hartman to reassess the peace and order and security situation in Mindanao and to rethink its travel advisory that affects the entire island,” ani Rodriguez.
Diin ng mambabatas sa kabuuan ay ligtas at payapa naman ang kalakhan ng Mindanao at maraming lugar ang economically progressive.
Inilabas ng Canada ang naturang travel advisory kasunod ng pagsabog sa Mindanao State University (MSU) noong December 3.
Pero ayon kay Rodriguez, isolated case lamang ang nangyari sa MSU.
“As Canadian officials must have noticed, we have not had any serious cases of bombing or violence in Mindanao in recent years, even in areas that are traditionally known for armed conflict. So it’s not fair for any foreign government to impose a shotgun travel advisory on our island,” aniya.
Payo pa ng mambabatas na makipagpulong ang ating security officials sa Canadian government upang ipaalam ang tunay na sitwasyon sa Mindanao.
Malaki kasi aniya ang magiging epekto nito sa paglago ng ekonomiya ng rehiyon.
“The problem with a travel advisory is that all foreigners, foreign tourists, and foreign investors, including non-nationals of the issuing foreign government, take note of it and take it seriously. They are counterproductive. If we don’t have economic activities and development, the more problems we will have on peace and order,” sabi pa ng kongresista. | ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
