People watch a TV news program showing a file footage of a missile launched by North Korea, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, June 8, 2017. North Korea fired several projectiles believed to be short-range surface-to-ship cruise missiles off its east coast, South Korea’s military said, a continuation of weapons tests that have rattled Washington and the North’s neighbors as Pyongyang seeks to build a nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
After raising an alert, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday urged Filipinos in Guam and the Northern Mariana islands to go on as usual since the situation remained “normal” amid the threat of a possible missile attack from North Korea.
READ: Despite missile crisis, tourists keep going to Guam
With the approval of the DFA, the Philippine Consulate General in Agana on Monday issued alert level 1, advising the 42,835 Filipinos in the US territory to closely monitor the news from reliable media outlets and official advisories from the authorities.
“Filipinos are encouraged to go about their daily business as usual, as the situation in Guam remains normal,” the DFA said in a statement Tuesday. It said contingency plans are in place to assist Filipinos in Guam “should it be necessary.”
The DFA also said Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has instructed not only the Consulate General in Guam and the Philippine Embassy in South Korea but all embassies abroad, particularly those in, or near, conflict areas, to update their contingency plans to get Filipino nationals out of harm’s way.
“In addition to the Korean Peninsula, there are tensions in other parts of the world including in the Middle East, that could affect our nationals. We should make sure that we are always ready to respond quickly and effectively,” Cayetano said.
Some 10 million Filipinos work abroad, of which about two million are in the Middle East. There are about 65,000 Filipinos in South Korea, according to the DFA. JPV