UK: Agent 007 has nothing to do with our travel advisories

MANILA, Philippines—It’s not as if  “James Bond” or any other agent from MI6—the British foreign intelligence service—is watching from concealed corners or on the lookout for an imminent threat.

Contrary to what many might think, the United Kingdom uses Philippine military and police security data to update its travel advisories on the country.

In a briefing to “demystify” the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) process of issuing travel advisories, embassy officials said around 95 percent of information that go into travel warnings for British citizens are “open source” data  from Philippine security forces.

“It would be wrong to think that it’s this great operation all over the world, that it’s a very elaborate intelligence operation, that we have tentacles everywhere,” Chargé d’Affaires Stephen Lysaght told reporters  on Tuesday.

“We don’t know everything … And I wouldn’t want to give you the impression that we always know in advance exactly what is happening, where it’s going to happen and why it’s going to happen,” Lysaght said.

Allies consulted

Tom Phipps, second secretary at the  embassy’s political section, explained that information from the Philippine police and the Armed Forces was being fed to the UK’s Joint Terrorist Assessment Center for analysis.

The center then analyzes the threat information “in a nonbiased and uninfluenced manner.”

The UK also compares notes with other countries, including the United States, Australia and Japan, and ensures that it applies a consistent criteria in risk assessment for all nations around the world.

“We make our own decision,” Phipps said. “The exchange (with Philippine authorities) is very positive. Most the time, when we update our advisory, we have very little concern [about the information we put out].”

No rush to judgment

Said Lysaght: “We’re very reasoned, very thorough … We don’t rush to judgment … If—heaven forbid—there’s an attack, that doesn’t mean we will advise our people not to go there. Bad things happen in many parts of the world.”

While the UK has a standing travel ban and warning for parts of Mindanao, Lysaght emphasized most British visits to the Philippines are “trouble-free.”

“Part of my job here is to tell people in the UK about some of the great things that are happening here,” said Lysaght, himself a frequent traveler to places in the country that might be a cause of concern to others.

“We are encouraging more British businesses to come and set up here. We are encouraging more British tourists to come.”

Sulu travel ban

Officials said the UK’s travel advisory on the Philippines had not changed for years: A travel ban remains in place over the Sulu archipelago because of persistent security threats while the British government continues to advise its citizens against “all but essential travel” to the rest of Mindanao.

The FCO regularly updates the travel warnings once fresh information comes in.

For instance, the UK on Saturday warned its citizens against an “imminent kidnap threat on foreigners” in Zamboanga del Norte.

The “underlying” travel alert level for that part of Mindanao, however, remains at the second tier, which means citizens are advised “against all but essential travel.”

Fine to visit PH

For most of the Philippines, no warning is in place, Phipps said. And this is where the UK would like to put more focus on.

“Actually, for around 80 percent of the country, we have no warnings in place. We’re saying it’s absolutely fine to visit,” Phipps said.

Lysaght noted a “strong growth” in arrivals of UK tourists and businessmen in the Philippines in recent years. But figures were not readily available.

“We are encouraging people to come to the Philippines. We believe it’s a safe place to visit,” Lysaght said.

Last year, 113,000 British nationals visited the Philippines, according to the FCO.