Closed seaports worry Mindanao officials

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Local officials are worried of serious setbacks in the economy of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi if the government will not lift the ban on operations of seaports in the three island provinces.

For security reasons, the defense and local government departments closed the seaports in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi since Sept. 10, a day after the start of the violent forays of Nur Misuari followers in Zamboanga City.

The Philippine Navy and Coastguard have only allowed one daily voyage for the Jolo-Zamboanga route since early this week, and opened the port of Lamitan City in Basilan only to commercial cargo vessels that are restricted from carrying passengers.

Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, Jr., whose island province has a closely-knit socio-economic linkages with Zamboanga City, said even the supply of banknotes from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to local banks have badly been affected by the shutdown of the Jolo seaport and airport.

Tan said consumer goods sold in stores in Jolo, capital town of the Sulu, and surrounding towns come from trading centers in Zamboanga City.

He said there has not been any big shipment of consumer goods to Sulu from Zamboanga City since the start of the hostilities that prompted authorities to close its seaport.

Officials facilitated Wednesday night the return by boat to Tawi-Tawi of hundreds of traveling residents stranded in Zamboanga City since Sept. 9.

The watercraft that ferried 550 stranded travelers was chartered by the office of the Tawi-Tawi governor and the congressional representative of the island province, Hadja Ruby Sahali.

It took Sahali and her younger brother, Tawi-Tawi Gov. Nurbert Sahali, more than a week to negotiate for a voyage clearance from authorities, owing to security concerns, such as the possibility of Misuari's men blending with stranded Tawi-Tawi folks to avail of the free boat ride and escape.

The police and the military were also apprehensive followers of Misuari can attack the boat while sailing to Bongao, the capital of the island province, passing along islands where there are enclaves of the Moro National Liberation Front.  

“The effect of the temporary suspension of inter-island voyages to Taw-Tawi’s economy is so adverse. We have not even reeled off from the adverse impact of the past Sabah crisis to our economy and here we are again, suffering from another conflict that our very own people are not even involved with,” Sahali said.