One good reason investors and tourists do not want to go to Mindanao is the unstable peace and order situation, particularly the threat of kidnappings by criminal syndicates and extremist groups.
Adequate proof that investments and tourism in our southern shores are not likely to be on the uptrend in the months ahead is the recent kidnapping of three foreigners and a Filipina from a resort in Samal island off Davao province. A video clip of the kidnap victims appealing to the government to stop ongoing military operations apparently in Sulu has been uploaded on YouTube. The video showed hooded gunmen and the three foreign hostages calling on the government to stop military operations. What is worrisome in the photo grab of the video clip is the black ISIS or Islamic State flag in the background. If the Abu Sayyaf is now part of the Islamic State, that is an alarming development as the Islamic State has been able to recruit more followers from around the world behind their goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate, first in the Middle East and then perhaps in other areas with predominantly Islamic populations. We urge the military and the police to go after the perpetrators of the kidnapping and bring them to justice as soon as possible. For as long as the Abu Sayyaf continues its terrorist activities such as kidnapping for ransom, Mindanao will not attain peace and order that is a key prerequisite for economic growth and poverty alleviation in the region.
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