ASEAN delegates’ Bohol tour pushes through despite travel warnings

No travel warning could stop delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, as they pushed through with their scheduled tour of Bohol despite the recent clash between government forces and the Abu Sayyaf Group.

GMA News' JP Soriano reported Saturday on Balitanghali that the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the local tourism office of Bohol showed ASEAN delegates around during the last day of their trade meeting held in Panglao town.

According to Tourism Undersecretary Kat De Castro, the scheduled tour almost did not push through when the said clash occurred.

However, due to the heightened security around the province and assurance of the local government of Bohol, the tour was still given the green light.

Their first stop was the town of Corella,  where they visited a sanctuary for the world-renowed, wide-eyed Philippine tarsiers, known to be the smallest primate in the world.

The delegates also got to marvel at the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol, in which they had to take 214 steps to reach the peak of one of the hills. The hills are famous for turning green during the rainy season, and brown — like giant mounds of chocolates — during the dry season.

Local authorities provided a convoy for the delegates, even as checkpoints have been scattered in the area to ensure security both for the locals and the guests.

The local government of Bohol and the DOT said it was important for the tour to continue despite the travel advisories earlier issued by several countries, following the deadly clash between government forces and the bandit group.

Among the countries that came out with travel advisories for their citizens were the US, the UK, and South Korea.

The encounter resulted in the deaths of three soldiers and a policeman, while six members of the ASG, including its sub-leader Muammar Askali alias "Abu Rami," were also killed.

Meanwhile, government forces are still on the hunt for the Abu Sayyaf Group members who are on the loose. It said that authorities have yet to verify intelligence reports that the bandit group has reached Cebu.

Duterte, for his part, offered a P1-million reward for the arrest of each member of the Abu Sayyaf who escaped. — Marlly Rome Bondoc/MDM, GMA News