US travel warning to Philippines a downgrade: Palace

MALACAÑANG said on Saturday that the latest travel advisory issued by the United States to the Philippines was an improvement from the previous travel warning since some urban areas in the country were no longer included.

In its latest warning, Washington told its citizens of the risks of traveling in the Philippines, particularly in the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in an interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan said that what the US issued was a "normal travel advisory."

"It's not a terror alert," she said, noting that every six months, the US issued its travel advisory.

"And if you compare, their travel advisory was downgraded because that warning did not include Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Manila. There's no more in the urban centers," she said.

Valte said that the travel advisory was just confined primarily on several places in Mindanao, particularly in areas where the state of emergency continues to exist.

"It's good that it's been downgraded because we've always maintained that the Metro (Manila) is safe, our urban centers are safe for our tourists," she added. (SDR/Sunnex)