The US, The Philippines, and Tourism

US declares: "Americans or any foreigner should NOT travel to the Philippines."

Imagine, if you will, a group of Americans disgruntled with the system, banding together and committing acts which can only be described as pure terrorism. They are paramilitary force that wants to make a statement so they plant a bomb in a government building, killing scores of innocent civilians. They may even cite a distorted sort of religion as justification for their acts.

Impossible scenario? Of course not! It has happened before, on American soil, and it could undoubtedly happen again. My point is this: if a very small group of individuals can kill innocent civilians in the US, similar groups can cause similar carnage anywhere else in the world--in Spain, Japan, Indonesia, or Philippines.

Why then has the US singled out the Philippines, again, as a dangerous place to visit?

The US State Department issued an advisory warning Americans against visiting the Philippines, not just one small part of it like Palawan or Cotabato, but all of it, including places that have never experienced anything remotely resembling a terrorist attack. The mountains of Sagada, the beaches of Batangas, the dive spots of Bohol and Cebu, the beautiful cities of Rizal, Tagaytay, Bacolod, and can I say Boracay, Dakak and El Nido? We could go on and on enumerating all the wonderful places a tourist can visit in the Philippines, and with the hot summer months come the endless fiestas where strangers are treated like family in every barrio or big city where they are held.

It is no secret that the struggling Philippines economy is greatly counting on tourism to save our beloved country. With its decades of friendly ties with the US, the country had been expecting the American tourists to boost the numbers. Instead, what the Philippines got was an advisory for all Americans to stay away because of the possibility of a terrorist attack. How a handful of Abu Sayyaf can endanger an entire country is beyond us. Deep down in our hearts, we know that the Philippines is just as safe as any other Asian tourist destination, and that's without mentioning the world-famous Filipino hospitality.

We could also put a check mark on the Canadians and Australians who issued similar advisories, but they at least limited the "no go" places to Mindanao. Then again, the Mindanao is such a huge island and the Abu Sayyaf hold sway only in one small province at its outer edges. So the Canadian and Australian governments did a great disservice only to generally peaceful Mindanao and its peoples.

Thankfully, the Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and other Asian tourists and their European counterparts are still making their way to the Pearl of the Orient.

Last time I checked, the US and the Philippines were still the strongest of allies. What happened? Is this still an aftermath of Angelo dela Cruz? Kawawa naman ang bansang pinakamamahal ko.

Posted by: Abesamis™