Canada is warning its citizens against travel to most of Mindanao and advising them to “exercise a high degree of caution” in the rest of the Philippines “due to crime, terrorism and kidnapping.”
The December 15 travel advisory comes the same week as the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Sydney, Australia that left 15 dead.
The shooters were found to have traveled to the Philippines in November, raising speculation they may have trained for the attack in Mindanao, where the military said less than a hundred “local terrorist group” members remain.
Canadians are advised to avoid all travel to the following provinces in Western Mindanao “due to the serious threat of terrorism, kidnapping, high levels of crime, and violent clashes between the security forces and rebel groups”:
Basilan
Cotabato
Lanao del Sur
Lanao del Norte
Maguindanao
Misamis Occidental
Sarangani
South Cotabato
Sultan Kudarat
Sulu
Tawi-Tawi
Zamboanga del Norte
Zamboanga del Sur
Zamboanga Sibugay
Canada has also advised avoiding non-essential travel to these provinces in Central and Eastern Mindanao:
Agusan del Norte
Agusan del Sur
Bukidnon
Davao de Oro
Davao del Norte
Davao del Sur, excluding Davao City
Davao Occidental
Davao Oriental
Misamis Oriental
Surigao del Norte, excluding Siargao Island
Surigao del Sur
The Palace has cautioned against “sweeping and misleading” statements about the country, with Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stressing Wednesday that there are no validated reports that the Bondi Beach shooters trained in the Philippines.
“Maging mapanuri at responsable din po sa pagpapahayag lalo ito ay nakakaapekto sa integridad at imahe ng Pilipinas,” she said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has said that security operations and community development efforts have led to a decline in “local terrorist group” numbers to 50 in 2025 from 1,257 in 2016.
“There have been no recorded terrorist training activities, recruitment efforts, or large-scale attacks by domestic LTGs since 2016. This underscores the erosion of their operational capacity and the effectiveness of sustained security monitoring,” the military also said.
Canada’s advisory comes during a peak season for tourism, when millions of Filipinos and foreigners travel across the country for the holidays.
