DINO
Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino is asking the US Embassy to clarify an advisory, which they issued against travels to Cebu and Bohol, to prevent ill effects especially on local tourism.
Dino said that the issuance of the advisory shortly before Bohol province will host the multi-sectoral forums as part of the country’s hosting of the 50th ASEAN Summit meetings, may also create fear among international guests who are expected to arrive for the said meetings.
“How can we have an information that is unsubstantiated and at the same time credible? That travel advisory is pregnant with oxymoronic expression that needs to be clarified,” he said in a press statement sent to Cebu Daily News.
(READ: US Embassy warns citizens to review travel plans to Central Visayas)
“We have visitors everywhere, including the Visayas. In fact, the Filipino counterparts for the ASEAN 2017 are hoping to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during the summit in Manila,” Dino added.
Dino said that the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) is doing its best to ensure the security of guests and local residents from any threats.
(READ: Tumulak: Stay calm but alert)
The US embassy posted on its website on Sunday a travel advisory asking its citizens to avoid travels to Cebu and Bohol provinces in Central Visayas because of kidnapping threats in these areas.
Dino said the travel advisory is expected to hurt tourism in the two neighboring provinces.
He is appealing to the US government “to review its policy on (the) release (of) travel warnings to its citizens against traveling in the Visayas” and be more careful in the issuance of their travel advisories.
(READ: PRO-7 on full alert, activates ‘Oplan SumVac’)
While he does not discount the possibility of threats coming from bad elements “who are planning to wreak havoc in Central Visayas that is now being monitored by the US government,” he is asking the US embassy to also consider the ill effects of their advisories to the country.
“I respect the strict policy of the US government in terms of security, as there is nothing wrong in ensuring safety of its own citizens. But I believe they can make a review on how to disseminate information that will tend to cause confusion and unacceptable consequences to the tourism industry just because of “unsubstantiated yet credible information” about the presence of terrorist in the region,” Dino said in his press statement.