Malaysia stops decades-old barter trade in southern Mindanao
The huge trading boats lay lifeless, upon the emerald water surrounding the Duol Bato pier in Jolo, Sulu.
There are no signs of industry aboard the wooden ships with names Like Fatimah and Nur Anne painted on its colorful hulls.
A man, stripped to his waist in the sweltering heat pokes his head from a ship's window and studies us for few moments. Before we could hail him, he disappears into the ship's hold.
Mechanical cranes used to lift cargo lay unused along the length of the deserted port.
Locals tell me the port used to be crawling with porters and equipment offloading cargo from the steady stream of trading ships coming from Sabah.
Alex Muamil, a captain of one of the ships from Sulu says most of the companies trading in cheap Vietnamese rice and other goods coming from Malaysia have altogether stopped their operations.
Traders rely on ships like the one Muamil skippers, to ferry goods into the country.
"We can still go to Sandakan but the police and the military says we cannot buy or trade goods for now."
Muamil was told by Malaysian police that the embargo would last as long as there was a "problem" with between the Philippine and Malaysian government.
The virtual embargo of Malaysian goods seem to be a direct response by the Malaysian government to the abduction of four Malaysians off the waters of Tawi Tawi.
The Malaysians were crew members of a tugboat passing through The province of Tawi Tawi when armed men boarded their vessel.
Ten Indonesian crew members of another tugboat passing through the same area were abducted in a similar manner this month.
Since the 1970s, traders in southern Mindanao have imported and bartered goods from Sandakan in Sabah.
Sabah's proxiimity to the island provinces of Sulu, Tawi Tawi and Basilan make it cheaper to import goods from here rather than Manila.
Since March 26, the barter and trade industry in the southern Mindanao provinces of Jolo, Tawi-tawi and Basilan has suffered a crippling blow.
The price of rice, sugar, cooking oil, flour and coffee have increased steadily over the past few weeks
Rice traders seem to be the hardest hit by the embargo.
Traders in downtown Jolo say the price per 25 kilogram bag of Vietnamese rice has increased by as much as 300 pesos.
Sulu Gov. Sakur 'Totoh' Tan laments the de facto embargo noting a big percentage of Sulu's commercial trade is in the barter and trade business.
"We are affected. Many people from my province are reliant on the barter trade business."
A military official from the AFP Western Mindanao Command or Westmincom says a tripartite meeting between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia has been called to discuss border security issues.
Tawi-tawi and Sulu remain dangerous for both foreigners and locals alike in the recent spate of abductions and killings attributed to the Abu Sayyaf Group and their affiliates.
Canadian hostage John Ridsdel was decapitated by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits on April 26 after a ransom demand of 300 million pesos was not met.
The ASG subgroup led by Ben Tatoh Sawadjaan still holds hostage Canadian Robert Hall, Norweigan Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Maritess Flor.
Ridsdel and his companions were abducted in a resort in the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte last September 2015.
Another subgroup of the ASG led by Radullan Sahiron is believed to be holding Dutchman Ewold Horn who was abducted in Tawi-tawi in 2013 during a bird watching trip.
Horn's companion, Italian Vinciguerra escaped from his captors during a military operation last year. — APG, GMA News