THE Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) expressed hopes that the travel advisory issued for the region since last year, specifically in southern Cebu, will be lifted.
Senior Supt. Jonathan Cabal, Regional Intelligence Division (RID-7) chief, said that the security situation in the south “is very peaceful and manageable.”
He said that the influx of tourist remains high, proof that travelers are confident of the peace and order situation in the south.
“It goes to show na yung level ng trust ng tourists is andun pa rin. So I find it difficult to comprehend (about) the advisories given by the embassies since last year, dapat nili-lift na nila,” Cabal said.
(It goes to show that the level of trust of the tourists is still there. So I find it difficult to comprehend about the advisories given by the embassies since last year, they should have lifted it).
Last November, the American Embassy in Manila issued an advisory warning Americans against traveling to southern Cebu particularly in the towns of Dalaguete, Santander, and Sumilon Island in Oslob town citing terror threats.
Just two days before the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Central Command (AFP-Centcom) clashed with members of the Abu Sayyaf Group in Inabanga, Bohol, on April this year, the US Embassy also issued a travel advisory which cited “unsubstantiated yet credible information” of threat of kidnapping of its nationals in Central Visayas.
Days after the US Embassy issued their travel advisory, the embassy of United Kingdom and France also urged their citizens to be vigilant in traveling through Central Visayas citing the US’ warning of terror activity in the region.
Meanwhile, Senior Supt. Eric Noble, Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) director, agrees with Cabal’s call on the lifting of the travel advisory saying that in almost a year since it was issued, Cebu remains peaceful.
Noble added that their coordination with Centcom and Philippine Coast Guard to deal with any terror or criminal threat in the area is still in place.