SANDAKAN: The rumours about an exodus of Filipinos to their home country from Sandakan through the barter trade jetty here were untrue, according to an officer with the Ports and Harbours Department here, Ruslan Ahmat.
He said the barter trade jetty located near the Sandakan Yacht Club is strictly for trading and commercial vessels coming to Sandakan from southern Philippines.
“I do not deny the rumours that have been circulating from mouth to mouth, and I have also received calls from the management enquiring about them. I would like to clarify here that no such instances had ever taken place,” he said.
Entry and exit clearances for all trading vessels are not only supervised by the Ports and Harbour Department but also by the Customs, Immigration and Health Department and monitored by a Special Branch officer.
“Our records show that to date, there have been no Filipino nationals returning to their country through this barter trade jetty,” he said.
“A strict rule is imposed for entering this jetty and there has been no record of Filipinos returning home through this jetty. Every vessel is monitored here and each vessel would have a captain and some 10 to 15 crew members.
“Some of the vessels berthed overnight at our jetty while other vessels would depart immediately after completing their business,” Ruslan explained, when met at the barter trade jetty yesterday.
On the number of vessels calling at the jetty, he said lately the number of calls had dropped following the armed intrusion incident at Lahad Datu.
“The intrusion incident at Lahad Datu has somehow reduced the number of vessels from Philippines calling at the jetty and the tight security imposed along our coastal waters could also be a reason for the reduced calls,” he said.
He reiterated that the barter trade jetty here is only used for transfer of goods and as a passenger terminal for Filipinos returning to their home country.
For the record, some 1,000 trading vessels plying goods call at the barter trade jetty per year which roughly average four vessels per day and most of the vessels are from places in the Southern Philippines such as Zamboanga, Basilan, Jolo Island and Tawi-Tawi.