Foreign, local tourists flock to Bohol after Abu Sayyaf clash

Foreign and local tourists flocked to Bohol even after the clash between the Abu Sayyaf group and government troops last week.

Several tourists, foreign and local, were seen enjoying Alona Beach in Panglao town in a report by News To Go.

Panglao is a known tourist destination in Bohol province.

Some resort operators, however, admitted that some tourists cancelled their bookings after the clash between the Abu Sayyaf group and security forces last Tuesday.

Six suspected Abu Sayyaf members, including its sub-leader Muammar Askali, were killed by security forces in a clash in Barangay Napo in Inabanga town.

The clash took place two days after the United States Embassy issued a travel advisory on Central Visayas, citing possible threats of kidnapping by extremist groups.

On Monday, the South Korean foreign ministry issued a travel advisory on Bohol.

The military had said that one of the possible objective of the Abu Sayyaf in Bohol was to carry out kidnappings.

Askali's group arrived in Inabanga on three speedboats. The Abu Sayyaf's known areas of operation were Basilan, Sulu and Tawi Tawi, which are hundreds of kilometers away from Bohol.

Following the clash, Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto clarified that it was an isolated case and that the Abu Sayyaf threat in the province had been contained by the police and the military.

Authorities are still looking for Joselito Melloria, a resident of Bohol and reportedly the new leader of ISIS-linked Ansar Khalifa Philippines.

Chatto had asked local governments and village officials in coast areas to remain on alert and immediately report to the authorities possible sightings of armed groups. —with a report from Leo Udtohan/ALG, GMA News