Bandar Seri Begawan - Only a few days after eight tourists were killed in the Manila bus hijacking, the safety of tourists in the Philippines is being questioned. The tragic hostage situation took place the day after Cebu Pacific made its inaugural flight from Manila to Bandar Seri Begawan.
The Director of the Brunei Tourism Board, Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Ahmed, h. the Bulletin that the low-cost airline's bi-weekly flights are hoped to double the number of tourists in Brunei and the Philippines.
In another interview with the Bulletin yesterday, Sheikh Jamaluddin expressed his Heartfelt sympathy for the bus hijacking in Manila's tourist district that occurred on Monday.
"It was a very unfortunate incident that shocked the tourism industry around the world," said the director. He described the ordeal as "a 12-hour dramatic hostage situation" that ended in grief.
Asked on how the Brunei and Philippine authorities will ensure the safety of future tourists in light of the tragic hostage ordeal, Sheikh Jamaluddin said, "I do not discourage Bruneian tourists (from) travelling to the Philippines because the incident was a one-off event."
Meanwhile, Consul General and First Secretary Raymond Balatbat at the Embassy of the Philippines conveyed his assurances that passengers from Brunei were never in any danger at the time of the Monday tragedy.
"Their safety was in no way in question. They were only inconvenienced by heavy traffic," he told the Bulletin.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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