Talking Points: Philippines Travel Warning (December 21, 2016)
Talking Points – The Philippines Travel Warning
Copyright © 2016 – Travel Leaders Group LLC. All rights reserved.
The following Talking Points can be used in conversations with the media and clients when discussing travel to the Philippines. (Updated December 21, 2016)
1. While the U.S. State Department has updated its Travel Warning for the Philippines, it does not warn against Americans traveling there, rather it further clarifies the relative safety of more remote areas far from the capital of Manila, such as the Sulu Archipelago, the southern Sulu Sea area, and on the island of Mindanao.
2. All travelers, no matter what country they visit, should take precautions to help ensure their safety and well-being including using common sense.
3. Safety is our top priority for our clients.
Below you will find additional information, supporting material and statistics to help further illustrate each talking point.
1. While the U.S. State Department has updated its Travel Warning for the Philippines, it does not warn against Americans traveling there, rather it further clarifies the relative safety of more remote areas far from the capital of Manila, such as the Sulu Archipelago, the southern Sulu Sea area, and on the island of Mindanao.
On December 20, 2016, the U.S. Department of State updated its Travel Warning for the Philippines.
The State Department says “U.S. citizens should continue to avoid all non-essential travel to the Sulu Archipelago and through the southern Sulu Sea and to exercise extreme caution when traveling to the island of Mindanao, due to continued terrorist threats, insurgent activities, and kidnappings.
o “Terrorist and insurgent groups based in the Sulu Archipelago continue to kidnap foreigners in the Eastern Sabah province of Malaysia and the southern Sulu Sea area. This area stretches from the southern tip of Palawan, along the coast of Sabah, Malaysia and the islands of the Sulu Archipelago, up to Zamboanga City, Mindanao.”
“Separatist and terrorist groups continue to carry out attacks and kidnappings against civilians, foreigners, political leaders, and Philippine security forces in Mindanao. Since January 2016, at least 13 separate kidnappings of foreigners have been reported across Mindanao.”
“In western Mindanao, terrorist, insurgent, and criminal gangs regularly conduct kidnappings for ransom. In central Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) remain active in the Cotabato City area, and in the Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces, where the government maintains a state of emergency and a greater police presence.”
Although there have been no reports of U.S. citizens in Mindanao targeted specifically for their nationality; however, the State Department says “general threats to U.S. citizens and other foreigners throughout Mindanao remain a concern.”
o “In September 2016, a terrorist group conducted a bombing in Davao City, killing 15 and wounding 69 people. Following the attack, the Philippine government
declared a “State of National Emergency on Account of Lawless Violence in Mindanao.”
o “U.S. government personnel are required to obtain special authorization from Embassy security officials before traveling to Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.”
The Philippines are home to more than 7,000 islands and vast majority of them are not in the area covered by the U.S. Travel Warning, including the capital city of Manila and the rest of Luzon. With either beaches, volcanoes or wildlife, here are just a few of some popular tourist areas in the regions that are not on the travel warning list:
o Apo Island
o Banaue
o Bantayan Island
o Batanes
o Biliran
o Bohol Island
o Boracay
o Camotes Island
o Cebu
o Coregidor Island
o Coron
o Great Santa Cruz Island
o Ilocos Norte
o Manila
o Malapascua Island
o Negros Oriental
o Palaui Island
o Panay
o Panglao Island
o Romblon
o Samar
o Siargao Island
o Sorsogon
o Tagaytay City
o Zamboanga
Manila is over 500 miles (800 kilometers) from the places identified in the U.S. State Department warning.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises, “There is a high threat from terrorism, including kidnapping” in the Philippines. It also advises:
o “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to south-west Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago because of on-going terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups. The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the remainder of Mindanao for the same reasons.
The Government of Canada, as of December 15, 2016, does not have a nationwide advisory in effect for the Philippines. However, it advises travelers to “exercise a high degree of caution due to the threat of terrorism and the high level of crime.” Global Affairs Canada advises:
o “against all travel to the Mindanao Region, excluding urban areas of Davao City, due to the serious threat of terrorist attacks and kidnapping.”
o “against all travel to the Sulu Archipelago and through the southern Sulu Sea, including the waters off southern Palawan Island, due to the threat of piracy and kidnappings in this area.”
2. All travelers, no matter what country they visit, should take precautions to help ensure their safety and well-being including using common sense.
If our clients are going to pack one thing, we’d strongly recommend it be common sense. No matter what our clients’ age or destination, they should always use good common sense when it comes to their personal safety, just as they would at home.
To maximize safety and security while traveling in the Philippines or any other international destination:
o Follow your instincts and avoid any areas or situations that seem as though they could become dangerous.
o Stay in the well-known tourist areas of the cities.
o Know and respect the laws in the country you are visiting.
o Visit only legitimate businesses and tourist areas, and avoid areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur.
o Leave your itinerary with a friend or family member back home.
o Check with your cell phone provider prior to departure to see if your phone is capable of roaming on GSM or 3G/4G international networks.
o Do not display expensive looking jewelry, large amounts of money or other valuable items.
o Make every attempt to travel during daylight hours, and stick to main roads.
The U.S. State Department also advises the following specific to the Philippines, “U.S. citizens in the Philippines are advised to monitor local news broadcasts and consider the level of preventive security when visiting public places, especially when choosing hotels, restaurants, beaches, entertainment venues, and recreation sites.”
We recommend that U.S. citizens follow the advice of the State Department and register their travel plans at https://step.state.gov. This will help the State Department contact travelers if there is a family emergency in the U.S., or in the event an emergency transpires in the place where the individual is traveling.
3. Safety is our top priority for our clients. All travelers, no matter what country they visit, can take precautions to help ensure their safety and well-being.
Our business is founded on repeat customers. Therefore, we want to be sure everything goes off without a hitch.
We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.
We closely monitor the U.S. Department of State website for travel alerts for all destinations, including those that are most popular with our clients.
Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may be planning to travel there so they can make determine for themselves if they still wish to travel.
We also work closely with respected hotels and resorts to remain informed of security precautions they’re taking to guard our clients’ safety.
If our clients are going to pack one thing, regardless of destination, we strongly recommend it be common sense:
o Stay in the well-known tourist areas of the cities.
o Make every attempt to travel during daylight hours, and stick to main roads.
o Leave your itinerary with a friend or family member back home.
o Check with your cell phone provider prior to departure to see if your phone is capable of roaming on GSM or 3G/4G international networks.
o Follow your instincts and avoid any areas or situations that seem as though they could become dangerous.
We recommend that U.S. citizens follow the advice of the State Department and register their travel plans at https://step.state.gov. This will help the State Department contact travelers if there is a family emergency in the U.S., or in the event an emergency transpires in the place where the individual is traveling.
Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate for up-to-date information on travel restrictions by calling 888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).