It is still more fun and safe in the Philippines.
Malacañang gave this assurance to the public despite a flurry of travel advisories and trip cancellations to the country supposedly due to security concerns.
“We understand the concern of foreign governments over their nationals,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement. “However, we assure everyone that the Philippines remains a safe place to work, to conduct business, or simply to have fun,” he added.
Abella said Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo has started to reach out to her counterparts in the region “to give assurances” about the country’s security situation.
The United States and other Western nations earlier issued travel alerts to their citizens to some parts of the country due to threats of kidnapping and other terror threats. The travel warnings have reportedly prompted some tourists to cancel their bookings to the country.
Abella, however, assured that the Philippine National Police has intensified security preparations for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and related meetings in the country.
He noted that the ASEAN ministerial meeting pushed through as scheduled in Bohol this week with the police “refocusing its efforts on the security preparations for the ASEAN.” (Genalyn D. Kabiling)
