EDITORIAL - It is imperative to secure the Visayas

To address the threat of terrorism, which has undoubtedly become the most pressing security concern of the times, presidential assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino has put on the table a proposal he believes should apply to Cebu and the whole of the Visayas – a Visayan Sea Safety and Security Inter-Agency Task Force, whose responsibility is evident in its name.

The proposal could not have come at a better time, as in fact the matter of securing the Visayas has long been a concern. Cebu, in particular, is especially vulnerable to security threats and needs to be protected. Cebu is at the very heart of the Philippine maritime industry. Not only do most of the country’s biggest shipping companies call Cebu home, it is also the hub of shipping south of Manila.

Through the Cebu port sail in and out dozens of ships, daily carrying people and cargo in a continuing exchange of commerce and diaspora. And because Cebu radiates its importance and influence from its strategic location, its outward value to the rest of the Visayas cannot be overemphasized. This valuable chunk of real estate called the Visayas must remain secure at all times.

The Dino proposal should not be seen as an adjunct of the martial law imposed in Mindanao as a result of the Marawi standoff, or as a precursor to its possible extension over the Visayas. With or without martial law, the proposed Visayan Sea Safety and Security Inter-Agency Task Force is a material necessity to the region’s continued development.

This is perhaps the reason why the proposal has met enthusiastic reactions from various sectors and stakeholders in Cebu. What remains to be seen now is how fast Dino can push his proposal into reality and how he can craft it into a real working entity that can measure up to what its envisioned tasks and responsibilities will be.

These tasks and responsibilities should also be very clearly defined and made transparent because the last thing such an important entity needs is to be sabotaged and scuttled by those whose only desire is to block anything and everything this administration does for the country. At a time when the country is under real threat from a defined enemy such as terror, everyone ought to unite behind the national leadership.