DAVAO CITY—The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) reacted strongly on Wednesday to a Twitter post by a government critic about taking caution on opening up Mindanao to foreign tourists.
OPAPP said its chief, Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., had raised “serious concerns” over a tweet of an column writer who he said “cast Mindanao in a bad light and disregarded multi-sector efforts to secure peace in the area.”
“We are not quite sure about Ms. Robles’ intentions, but she is instilling fear among local and foreign travelers who wish to visit Mindanao. By doing so, she is creating a negative image of the place in the public’s eye which I find worrisome,” he said.
Ms. Robles had been posting criticisms against the administration of President Duterte, including her daughter, incoming Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio. She actively campaigned for losing Presidential candidate Maria Leonora “Leni” Robredo. The incoming VP’s spokesman, Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco, was the latest to take a hit from Ms. Robles.
“Apparently, Frasco would like to open up Mindanao to tourism. I’m sure the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group [ASG] and other bandits would be pleased by the prospects of so many potential kidnap victims. Way to go, Frasco. Prep yourself for ransom negotiations. ASG might ask you to nego personally,” Robles said in her June 2 post, criticizing Frasco’s alleged plan as an incoming Secretary of the Department of Tourism.
Galvez said Robles’ views were unfair to the current and previous administrations, local government units and the security sector “which have for years been working very hard to put a stop to lawless elements and improve the overall peace and order situation in the area.”
“Ms. Robles claims that she has been covering terrorism in Mindanao for the longest time. If this is the case, then she must know that the attacks perpetrated by terror groups have significantly gone down during the term of President Duterte,” Galvez said.
Galvez attributed this downtrend in violent incidents to the heightened presence of military forces in the Sulu Archipelago, particularly through the military brigades and battalions that have been strategically deployed in the island-provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
“As the former commander of the Western Mindanao Command [WestMinCom], we focused on addressing the threat posed by the ASG and other terror groups by making our presence felt and working closely with LGUs [local government unit] to ensure peace and security in their areas,” he said.
“The numbers of the ASG are dwindling. Hundreds have already surrendered and are now living peacefully with their families. They no longer have the influence over the communities particularly in Basilan and Tawi-Tawi,”he said.
Duterte-Carpio described the tweet as demonizing Mindanao “and an insult to its people.” She said Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman has confirmed that “there had been zero kidnapping incidents since President Duterte came into office.”
Robles clearly wanted to undervalue everything that the Duterte administration has done in keeping the peace and security in Mindanao and ensuring that concerns caused by terrorist organizations, including kidnap for ransom groups, are addressed appropriately with the help of local governments and leaders of communities.
Since 2016, kidnapping operations by ASG in Mindanao have been significantly reduced compared to the previous years—and tauthorities have successfully rescued all victims.
“All other incidents concerning ASG had been about the arrests and surrenders of their members and leaders. As a Filipino, Robles should be ashamed of herself for dangerously trying to stoke and encourage terrorist groups to target tourists in Mindanao,” Galvez said.
Galvez said that it was during his stint with the military where he saw first hand the determination of LGUs to rid their communities of lawless elements, address the roots of armed violence, and bring genuine peace and sustainable development in their localities.
“Having previously worked closely with local chief executives and other community leaders for many years, I could really sense their commitment and desire to present their areas in a better, more positive light. There was even a catchphrase: from terrorism to tourism,” he said.
Galvez said Robles is trying to conjure images of the “wild wild west” in describing Mindanao when in reality, the island-region is now emerging as a leading eco-tourism, trading and commercial hub.
“This is an anachronistic way of picturing Mindanao. It is a throwback to the Mindanao of old when armed encounters used to be a regular occurrence. This is the image of Mindanao which we would like to put behind because genuine peace is now upon us,” he said.
The peace adviser noted that the dividends of peace are now being felt across Mindanao, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which is the second fastest growing region in the country in terms of economic growth.
“The BARMM’s economy grew by 7.5 percent in 2021, which is remarkable considering that we were still in the midst of a pandemic. This is not only a testament of the region’s vast economic potential, but also an indication of stable peace and order conditions,” Galvez said.
Robles defended her views in her recent tweets saying she did not “wish to offend people residing in Mindanao. But I just want DOT (Department of Tourism) officials to be aware that opening up Mindanao to tourism is something they should cautiously approach, When tourists come to PHL, we are responsible for their safety.”