Canada’s health advisory mistaken for travel warning
DAVAO CITY—A health advisory by the Canadian government for its citizens in the Philippines was mistaken as a warning against travel to Mindanao, stirring an uproar from the region’s main development coordinating agency.
On June 26, the Canadian government updated its advisory for travelers in the country with an entry on the risks of contracting dengue fever.
Because of the update, the entire portion on “Philippines travel advice” was refreshed to the public, with the section on safety and security getting greater attention.
This prompted the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) to call out the Canadian embassy in the country for supposedly putting up an “inaccurate” portrayal of Mindanao as “a region beset by terrorism, kidnapping and violent clashes …”
In a statement, the embassy said “Canada has maintained a range of differentiated travel advisories covering different regions of the Philippines for many years.”
“These advisories reflect government advice to Canadian citizens, based on a meticulous assessment of a range of factors affecting security and stability in any given jurisdiction,” it explained.
“Our travel advice for the Philippines has been updated on June 26 to reflect changes in our advice to travelers about dengue,” it added.
No new risk warning
The embassy further said that the Canadian government “has not issued any new advisory for the Philippines on risk, safety and security.”
Currently, the travel advisory portal contained a general advise to its citizens traveling to the country to “exercise a high degree of caution … due to crime, terrorism and kidnapping.”
It advised to “avoid all travel” to western Mindanao “due to the serious threat of terrorism, kidnapping, high levels of crime and violent clashes between the security forces and rebel groups.”
For central and eastern Mindanao, the portal advised against nonessential travel.
There were no indicators when these entries were last updated.
The embassy also did not indicate if these advisories were still true today.
In a statement, MinDA Chairman Leo Tereso Magno said they look forward to Canada issuing a “more balanced and evidence-based advisory” that, he added, “will not only serve Canadian travelers better, it will also honor the progress made by the people of Mindanao.”
Magno added that MinDA stands ready to work with international partners “to promote a truthful and constructive understanding of Mindanao’s transformation.”
