The United States has expanded the areas in the Philippines where its citizens are advised to exercise increased caution, adding rural and remote areas of Leyte, Mindoro, Negros and Samar due to security concerns linked to insurgent activities.
In a travel advisory issued on September 1, the U.S. State Department said Americans should exercise increased caution in the four provinces because of ‘terrorism and unrest associated with ongoing insurgent activities’ that could pose security risks.
The advisory retained its Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ warning for the Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, because of risks from crime, terrorism, unrest and kidnapping. Marawi City also remains under a ‘Do Not Travel’ designation due to terrorism and unrest.
In addition, the U.S. government continues to advise Americans to ‘reconsider travel’ to certain areas of Mindanao because of security threats linked to crime, terrorism, unrest and kidnapping.
Exempted from this Level 3 travel warning are Davao City Central Business District and Airport, Davao del Norte province, the main thoroughfare from Davao City to Davao del Norte, the Dinagat Islands, Kopiat Island, and the main thoroughfare from Davao City to Mabini and Doña Alicia, Samal Island, and Siargao Island.
For the rest of the Philippines, the travel advisory maintained its ‘Level 2 – Exercise increased caution’ warning for the Philippines due to crime, terrorism, unrest and kidnapping.
‘Foreign terrorist organizations actively recruit Americans to participate directly in terrorist activities and/or provide financial support,’ the advisory said.
The US State Department noted that terrorist and armed groups have carried out kidnappings, bombings and other attacks in the Philippines, including incidents targeting tourist sites, markets and local government facilities.
‘Do not affiliate with terrorist or insurgent groups, including via the internet. If you unwittingly become associated with a group you suspect is engaged in terrorism or armed opposition to the Philippine government, the embassy can help. Contact us immediately,’ the US State Department said.
It also suggested that if they see armed individuals who are not police or military, they should immediately leave the area.
The updated advisory comes months after two American citizens were among 19 people killed during an April 19 encounter between government troops and alleged New People’s Army (NPA) members in Toboso, Negros Occidental, one of the provinces now cited in the advisory. Reports identified the Americans as Filipino-American activist Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem.
Philippine security officials, including the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), said the two Americans were among individuals believed to be affiliated with or operating alongside the NPA during the encounter. The military has maintained that the operation was a legitimate armed engagement against communist rebels.
However, human rights organizations, advocacy groups and some relatives of those killed have disputed that account, arguing that several fatalities were civilians and calling for an independent investigation into the incident.
The State Department did not directly cite the Toboso incident in its latest travel advisory.
The State Department also warned of violent crimes such as robberies, kidnappings, physical assaults and homicides, while noting that protests can sometimes turn violent or cause significant traffic disruptions.