THE Inter-Agency and Tourism Stakeholders Security Summit for Southern Cebu was held in Barangay Tan-awan in the southern town of Oslob on Sunday, February 3.
The gathering was in response to the recent travel advisory the British government issued against the area.
Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Visayas Michael Dino assured stakeholders that there was no threat in the whole province.
“Kuyawan ko (I was alarmed), ‘cause it is not true nga (that) there is (a) threat. It is very, very true that there is no threat. We are all here, making sure that Southern Cebu is safe and there is zero-percent threat,” he said during the gathering.
Dino said the British government should have coordinated with the local military, police and intelligence community before issuing the advisory.
“Coordinate first with the military, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the police. You should have a basis with the travel advisory because it will affect the entire Visayas, which is the center of tourism in the Philippines,” he said.
He urged other countries to coordinate with the local intelligence community to know the current peace and order situation in a particular area.
Additional security
The summit was attended by resort owners in Oslob and mayors from Argao, Boljoon, Oslob and Samboan, among others.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will establish a Southern Cebu Station in Oslob this month to help the police and the military protect Southern Cebu from any terrorist threat.
Captain Ronnie Gavan said they would deploy another vessel to patrol the waters off Oslob and Sumilon Island and the neighboring province of Bohol.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-Central Command also encouraged the public to be vigilant and to report to them any sightings of suspicious persons and objects.
“The threat of terrorism has no borders, boundaries and territories, so anytime and anywhere it can be undertaken by any terrorist...Now the threat is in Mindanao, specifically in the island of Jolo... How we can prevent that from coming to our shores is up to us. It is very important that all of us will participate and coordinate to protect our communities,” Lt. Gen. Noel Clement said in Cebuano.
Police Regional Office-Central Visayas Director Debold Sinas echoed his sentiment, adding that sufficient tourist police had been deployed in the towns, especially in Oslob.
“Even if we didn’t receive a threat, we, the police, in coordination with the AFP and the PCG and other force multipliers, are always ready,” Sinas said in Cebuano.
Oslob Mayor Jose Tumulak revealed that the advisory did not affect the influx of tourist in the town. Instead, they noticed a surge in arrivals, he said.