Hello, folks! Happy Thirstday again!

Straight from the port, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary with week-long fun and excitement as employees remember the brand of true service they render to travelers and the improvement of facilities under the leadership of GM Jay Santiago.

The PPA has done a lot to improve the quality of the service it provides to the citizenry. The system is not perfect and more facilities still need some upgrading but the PPA’s hardworking men and women are always ready to bring excellence to the job and serve the people well.

Having ports that are gradually being upgraded is a welcome development as the country vies for more tourists to travel all over the archipelago.

We usually get a good look at the stunning beauty of Luzon and the Visayas but let us dive once in a while into the wonderful and alluring region that is Mindanao.

The second largest of the Philippine islands boasts of natural beauty with its majestic mountains and forests that nature lovers can fully enjoy.

Tourism is seen as the crowning glory of many Mindanao towns. Local government units (LGUs) are on the go making their respective places fun-filled and enjoyable destinations for foreign and local tourists alike.

Of late, what adds color to the tourism industry are some men (and women) in uniform, members of the Philippine Armed Forces who are also advocates for tourism, particularly in places that used to be havens of armed groups in Mindanao.

Social media is streaming with soldiers who are actively participating in tourism by creating and posting events like sports meets, festivals, and the like on social media. These soldiers are odd fellows in the industry as we all know that their job is to run after the armed groups but looking at their work on social media, we marvel how good they are what they’re doing!

Tourism is seen as the crowning glory of many Mindanao towns. Local government units are on the go making their respective places fun-filled and enjoyable destinations for foreign and local tourists alike.

Now that Mindanao is relatively peaceful, soldiers have ventured into promoting their areas as tourism havens. Take a look, for instance, at Talaingod in Davao del Norte which yours truly visited as a reporter during the times when armed skirmishes were happening in the area. But look at Talaingod now! You can see on social media that the first-ever Talaingod Trail Run was held in that town.

Imagine nature lovers trekking a 25-kilometer trail that in the past was a battleground for soldiers and communists!

Soldiers belonging to the Philippine Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion, in collaboration with the local governments of Talaingod and Kapalong led by Mayor Jonnie Libayao and Mayor Teresa Timbol, respectively, spearheaded the event with the help of civil society groups and local commercial establishments. This was an outstanding recipe for collaboration and a template for others to follow.

The best part is that the proceeds will be used to support students from Indigenous communities who were victims of armed conflict in the past.

It is heartwarming to see on social media that people from all over can see for themselves that, yes, Mindanao is ready for your arrival!

The improvement of the PPA’s facilities and the efforts of LGUs and soldiers are not mere coincidences but are part of deliberate overarching efforts by the national government to improve the lives of people in the area.

We make our place peaceful and attractive and then we improve our ports, making them more efficient. And we would most likely have more people traveling about and see the economy humming a little bit more.

In the coming years, sea travel will be more relaxing, fun and advantageous, at least for those who are not in a hurry.

As we improve our ports and as our local tourist destinations succeed in holding eye-catching events, festivities and the like, we are sure that our boat is moving forward. Regarding that, we can confidently say that we are together in this...

...and yes, we are in the same boat!