John Kerry cancels Philippine visit; U.S. warns citizens of new terror threats in Mindanao

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Oct 11): John Kerry cancels Philippine visit; U.S. warns citizens of new terror threats in Mindanao

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has cancelled his trip to the Philippines due to a brewing storm, but this coincided with an emergency alert put out Thursday by the U.S. Embassy in Manila of credible threats on American citizens in the country.

Kerry made his announcement in Brunei with Filipino Foreign Minister Alberto del Rosario on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan.

“I’ve just had a communication with President Aquino and the Foreign Minister. And we have agreed for a decision that we have made, because of the judgment of our pilots and the airlines, that with the approaching typhoon we are going to postpone the trip that I was going to make to the Philippines,” Kerry said.

But he was quick to say that: “But the good news is I am absolutely committed to returning within a month or so. I’m coming back to the region, and I look forward to visiting with our friends in the Philippines. And I’m very grateful to President Aquino and to the Foreign Minister for their understanding of this situation. This is a big storm. Obviously storms can change paths at the last minute. We wish the people in the Philippines safety, and their well being is our concern over the course of the next days.”


Promise to President Aquino

Del Rosario said Kerry has promised President Benigno Aquino that he would be coming to the Philippines before the year ends.

“We regret the postponement of Secretary Kerry’s visit to Manila. And this is due to the possibility, increasing possibility now, that there is a major typhoon that could be entering Philippine responsibility,” he said.

“We, of course, we’re eager to welcome Secretary Kerry. He is an old and dear friend to the Philippines. And in addition to seeing him, we had planned to meet and discuss the many bilateral issues that – well, these are not issues actually, but we have – we wanted to use this as an opportunity to be able to further advance our alliance and our strategic partnership. We are – nonetheless, we are looking forward to the visit of Secretary Kerry. He has promised the President that he would be coming before the end of the year. So we’ll see him then,” Del Rosario said.

U.S. Emergency Alert


It was unknown whether Del Rosario or Aquino have been informed or aware of the new U.S. warning, but the U.S. Embassy told its citizens that a series of credible security threats have been identified in southern Mindanao, particularly in Region 11 or the Davao Region; Region 12 in North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and Maguindanao provinces.

“Individuals associated with known extremist and insurgent groups are believed to have been conducting surveillance on a number of public locations in these areas, as possible targets of interest.  Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. Examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas, and other destinations, whether frequented by foreigners or locals,” the U.S. Embassy said.

“As a result, the Embassy has placed restrictions on all U.S. government travel to these areas. The Embassy advises all U.S. citizens residing in southern Mindanao to exercise extreme caution and re-evaluate their personal safety situation. The Embassy strongly reiterates its recommendation that U.S. citizens exercise extreme caution when travelling to Mindanao and keep personal safety and security in mind during any stay in Mindanao,” it added.

The Embassy reminded American citizens to remain vigilant and maintain an appropriate level of personal security in all circumstances by reviewing personal safety plans; remaining aware of their surroundings, including local events; and monitoring local news sources for updates.

President Barack Obama who is also scheduled to visit Manila has earlier cancelled his official visit.

The U.S. warning came barely a month after separatist Moro National Liberation Front rebels loyal to Nur Misuari simultaneously attacked Zamboanga City in Mindanao, where other rebel groups, including terrorist organizations such as Jemaah Islamiya and its allies are actively operating.

The Zamboanga fighting, which lasted three weeks, had killed and wounded over 400 people and left the city, which was formerly under Muslim rule, in ruins.

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