MOTC-BARMM Minister puts an end to issues hounding Marina Tawi-Tawi provincial office

MOTC-BARMM Minister Dickson Hermoso conduct his first ocular visit in Bongao port to settled issues and fix any problems for the better BARMM governance. During his visit he closely coordinated to  Lt. General Cirilito Sobejana, Commander of AFP’s Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM),  Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi, 2nd Marine Brigade, Phil. Navy’s Naval Station Juan Magluyan (NAJM), Phil.Coast Guard and Phil. National Police in Tawi-Tawi are also in full support. ( Photo by Mark Navales.}

Bongao, Tawi-Tawi - Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) provincial office in Tawi-Tawi has been in confusion in terms of leadership that prompted an immediate ocular inspection last  Tuesday, 6 August just earlier.

Minister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC)-BARMM, Dickson P. Hermoso conveyed a strong message to put an end the  issues of leadership of this office.

Minister Hermoso said, "The confusion of leadership in this office has to stop. no one can  assumes office without any proper legal authority that comes from the BARMM   Interim Chief Minister Alhaj  Murad Ibrahim, he said.

Before the turn-over of authority from the former ARMM to BARMM, this has been the prevailing concern in the Southwestern Island province of the Bangsamoro government.

Alonto A. Sahiron, MPA, Regional Officer-in-Charge of MARINA-BARMM said "this ocular visit of Minister Hermoso  settled once and for all the issues on bogus personnel pretending to be employees who are actually  connected with MARINA-BARMM."

"We were already directed by the Interim Chief Minister Alhaj Murad Ebrahim to look in to  this bogus operation of MARINA in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi until  the  new minister appointed he  vigorously sustained efforts to solve every problems and  issues in order to have a good and better governance.

Sahiron said that he do his  best to serve his people religiously to avoid issues and problems.

 

(Photo by Mark Navales )

He added that  all types of sea vessel regardless of tonnage are obliged to register and to be recognized by MARINA-BARMM before they conducts their business operation like commercial sea vessels, may it be small wooden banca, medium size or large passenger and cargo container ships, should get their permit to operate.

The MARINA and Regional Ports Management Authority (RPMA) they  should be working hand and hand as brothers to monitor each sea vessel plying and docking along the seas and rivers within the BARMM area of responsibility.

During the turn over  Gary Abbas, Regional Officer-in-Charge of RPMA said, "So far our ports suffers congestion problems and we were look in a proper solution about this,  The fact that there are so many sea vessels now docking at our ports, we can hardly accommodate them.", he said.

"Bongao and Jolo ports are under renovations to be able to handle bigger ships and we can cater some international hub like international cargos and passenger ships from neighboring Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Sabah and Brunei." Abbas conveyed.

“The revival of the barter trade among our Asian neighbors such as Malaysia and Indonesia is underway as ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision about the cross-border trading under the President Duterte's Executive Order No. 64 in October 2018 that created the Mindanao Barter Council (MBC), has identified the ports of Siasi and Jolo in Sulu and Bongao in Tawi-Tawi as the barter ports, he added.

The said ocular visit of Minister Hermoso was in close coordination with Lt. General Cirilito Sobejana, Commander of AFP’s Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM). The Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi, 2nd Marine Brigade, Phil. Navy’s Naval Station Juan Magluyan (NAJM), Phil.Coast Guard and Phil. National Police in Tawi-Tawi are also in full supports of some other government line agencies like Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Immigration as well as the local chief executives were also there to support the proper flow of operation in the Bangsamoro island provinces. {By Mark Navales/with reports by Andy Orobia)

Dive tourism, the next big thing in Camiguin

CAMIGUIN, Northern Mindanao -- Keen on attracting the growing dive tourism market, the first-ever dive festival in the south has been launched in Camiguin, the northern tip of Mindanao, indicating the province and the region's readiness to accommodate divers.

Bo Mancao, a Cebu-based international dive photographer, said "a couple more years" and the volcanic island could position itself as a "top diving destination in Asia."

"Camiguin has it all. It has great muck diving where you look for the rare creatures. It has awesome reefs and good dropoffs, and in the right season, it has super clear waters -- that makes a good mix for a dive holiday," Mancao said on the sidelines of the 1st Camiguin Dive Festival in Mambajao.

Photo by Bo Mancao

The dive fest, a two-month long event pumped with a flurry of dive packages at discounted rates, underwater photography competition, and a province-wide campaign on sustainable tourism, runs until August.

Depending on what one fancies -- freediving or scuba diving -- this underwater sport is a fairly expensive hobby. Classes to get the required dive certification ranges from PHP20,000 to PHP25,000. The regular dive package for licensed divers, on the other hand, costs between PHP1,200 and PHP2,500 per dive site.

Throughout the two months, divers get to enjoy a 30-percent discount on each package and about 15 percent less on introductory dive classes.

"We are spearheading the first-ever Camiguin Dive Festival promoting the island's rich, unique, diverse and pristine dive sites. This is in line with our vision to develop Camiguin as a destination that meets global standards of sustainable and responsible tourism," Camiguin Governor Maria Luisa Romualdo said.

During the grand festival launch on June 23, international dive photographers and professional divers were treated by the provincial government with a trip to the Black Coral Forest near the Medan Island off Mambajao.

Mancao, the event's official underwater photographer, said the view underneath is as breathtaking as all the dives he had in Camiguin.

"The dive was very good, I'm always happy to dive in Camiguin," he said. "The dive industry in the Philippines is getting a lot stronger now. We can see it in other dive destinations now and I think Camiguin would be the best next dive destination in the Philippines."

Diving-wise, the island is in fact now ready to accept an influx of international and local dive tourists. "It's been ready for years now. Divers have been coming here for some time already. It's not just that popular yet," he said.

                                                                Photo by Bo Mancao

According to the Department of Tourism (DOT) 10 (Northern Mindanao) Director Marie Elaine Unchuan, the department has already accredited six dive shops on the island.

"The PCSSD (Philippine Commission on Sports and Scuba Diving) actually inspected everything and gave certification so we can really invite people with confidence because we know the divers would have good diving experience," she told reporters in an interview.

The advantage in dive tourism is that divers often stay longer, she noted. And the longer a visitor stays in a place, the more vibrant the tourism industry.

"When the dive groups come here after they dive, they'll roam around the island because they're not allowed to get on a flight within 24 hours. The good thing with Camiguin is it's an ecotourism destination. It has beaches, mountain, hot springs, and even cold springs," she said.

Long before the official promotions and the festival, Camiguin has already established a name recall among Europeans -- particularly Germans and Russian divers -- through word of mouth.

"We have Germans, French, and Russians diving here, and of course, the domestic divers and we're getting a lot of rave reviews from dive photographers we've invited in the past," Unchuan said.

"We're very confident that a lot more people will get enticed to dive in Camiguin," she added.

The diving event is in line with the national government's goal to develop and promote the Philippines as a premier diving and business hub in Asia.

Last year, the DOT even hosted the largest dive exposition in the Philippines. (By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)