Filipinos in Turkey urged to avoid large public gatherings

DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday cautioned Filipinos across Turkey to be careful of large public gatherings as nationwide unrest grew amid widespread demonstrations over the planned construction over a historic park in Istanbul.

“Our Embassy in Ankara continues to monitor the situation in Turkey. While there are no specific threats to Filipinos, our Embassy nevertheless advises our kababayans to take extra precaution and stay away from areas where demonstrations are held,” DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

There are some 5,000 Filipinos in Turkey, according to DFA estimates.

Hernandez meanwhile said no Filipinos were among casualties in the flooding in the Czech Republic and fresh tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma over the weekend.

He said the Philippine Embassy in Prague has sent out an alert to some 500 Filipinos there about the situation and contact numbers for emergencies.

Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, Hernandez meanwhile said Filipinos were spared from harm when a tornado hit central Oklahoma on May 31, killing at least 18 people. Some 100,000 Filipinos are known to be residing in Oklahoma and surrounding areas in the midwest, which was also hit by a tornado earlier last month.