No joke

Tell people that the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi will be great for tourism, and the reaction is laughter.

But it’s no joke. I’ve visited all three provinces a few times, going there from Zamboanga City by helicopter. The first thing you notice from the air are the outlines of coral reefs near the islands, which would make great snorkeling and diving sites. The country’s western part is dotted with such reefs.

Island-hopping in the three provinces could be great fun, to borrow our current tourism buzzword. Tawi-Tawi alone, which includes the Turtle Island group, covers 307 islands and islets, and I don’t think the number is altered by the tide level. Its southwestern tip is a few hours’ ride by motorized banca to Sabah, Malaysia.

Sulu has 157 islands and islets. Basilan has one main island plus a few smaller ones.

When I visited Tawi-Tawi about three years ago, the local government was proudly showing off the province’s seafood industry, presenting large lobsters to visitors, and putting on display the distinctive Islamic culture. Tawi-Tawi and Sulu are part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Basilan, with its larger Christian population, as well as Sulu have lush forests that would be ideal for camping and other nature trips. I’ve often been told that Basilan has one of the country’s best varieties of coffee, but during my visits I couldn’t find a place that served it or sold the beans.

The ones who told me about Basilan coffee were non-residents, mostly Filipino and American soldiers who were served the coffee in offices or private homes in the province.

Protracted armed conflict has of course taken its toll not only on coffee production but also all aspects of life in Basilan. Its jungles, like those in Sulu, continue to serve as sanctuary for the Abu Sayyaf and its allies belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its breakaway factions, and rogue elements of the Moro National Liberation Front.

People have been waylaid by bandits while simply taking boat rides between the Zamboanga peninsula and Basilan. Only the foolhardy will want to go snorkeling in the reefs surrounding the province, no matter how inviting the scenery.

In Sulu, security officials did point out to me the picturesque mountains just a short hike from Jolo’s main commercial area, but only to warn me not to stray near its slopes. The mountain teemed with Abu Sayyaf, I was told, and the bandits had supporters in the capital.

Similar warnings were given to me during my visits to Basilan. Stay away from the trees at the foot of the slopes, I was told, because unseen hands could grab me and drag me deep into the jungle, and pursuit would be difficult in the forbidding terrain.

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No such warning was given to me when I visited Tawi-Tawi. There was only exasperation expressed by residents about their province being lumped together with Basilan and Sulu as a zone of armed conflict.

Local officials even showed me brochures promoting their province as a tourism destination unique in the Philippines.

The tourism marketing campaign apparently worked on Elwold Horn, 52, of the Netherlands and Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47, of Switzerland. The two went to Tawi-Tawi for bird watching - a popular activity in our tropical country. There are tourists who come here principally for this activity. Dutch Ambassador Robert Brinks is himself an avid bird watcher.

Last Wednesday in Barangay Parangan, Panglima Sugala town, armed men seized the two tourists together with their Filipino guide, Ivan Sarenas, dragging them to a pump boat as they fled to sea. Sarenas said he managed to jump off and swim to safety.

I doubt if the two Europeans would be singing praises about having fun in the Philippines. If they had been left in peace in their bird watching and had enjoyed their visit, they could have served as tourism marketing agents for the Philippines and Tawi-Tawi in particular.

The European tourism market is still largely untapped by the Philippines. It’s a shame because Europeans travel a lot, and they’re all over Southeast Asia. Why are they teeming in Bali, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reap and Singapore but not in Philippine destinations?

European Union Ambassador Guy Ledoux, who visited The STAR last week with political counselor Julian Vassallo, told us that European awareness of the Philippines as a travel destination is low compared with their awareness of other Southeast Asian countries.

Ledoux and Vassallo have the impression that hotel capacity in the Philippines is inadequate particularly in popular destinations.

The lack of direct flights from Europe can also be a problem when other Southeast Asian destinations have them. Several of our neighbors are even competing to become the regional hub for air travel.

Diplomats of other countries have often told me that the principal concern of their citizens when considering a visit to the Philippines is personal safety.

About an hour after the EU diplomats left our office, we received reports about the kidnapping of Horn and Vinciguerre.

Their experiences in Tawi-Tawi would have been priceless in the effort to bring development to the province through tourism.

You know the war has been won in that area when you portray it as a tourist destination – and no one thinks you’re joking.