CONTINGENCY measures are in place in Guam to ensure the safety of some 42,800 Fiipinos living there, the Palace said Thursday, even as a party-list group urged President Rodrigo Duterte to convene the National Security Council to deal with the North Korean threat to launch nuclear missiles near the American territory.
“The embassies and consulates in general have including the one in Hagatna, Guam, contingency plans which are regularly updated to enable them to respond to emergencies,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a Palace briefing.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Robespierre Bolivar also assured all Filipinos in Guam that the consulate general is prepared and has updated its contingency plan in case North Korea launches a nuclear attack near Guam.
Neither the Palace nor the Foreign Affairs department, however, offered any details on these contingency plans.
On Thursday, North Korea’s army released a statement announcing that they are planning to launch missiles near Guam, where the United States has air and naval bases.
The statement came after US President Donald Trump warned North Korea that it would suffer “fire and fury”—a threat that Pyongyang called “a load of nonsense” Thursday.
A party-list lawmaker urged the President to convene the NSC to evaluate the country’s options, contingencies and response mechanisms.
Rep. Salvador Belaro, Jr. of 1-Ang Edukasyon Party-list, said the Philippines could well be within striking distance of North Korean missiles.
“North Korean missiles, if they are sent to Guam, could fly over our airspace,” he said.
“If those missiles fail during flight, they could drop on part of our territory. If those missiles have nuclear warheads, what can the Philippines do in response?” Belaro said.
Invoking the Philippines’ 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States should be among the options presented to the President, more so if any missiles from North Korea enter the country, or fall, or strike any part of it, he said.
“Those missiles are the threat. Keeping them from flying to us or to any direction outside of North Korea is the priority. Making those missiles stay on the ground is primarily a diplomatic mission,” said Belaro.
“Now is a good time to stand with our Department of Foreign Affairs, our Department of National Defense, and our President and commander in chief,” he said.
“Now is a good time to rely on and harness the goodwill our country has fostered with our neighbors here in Asia and the Pacific, not just during the Duterte administration, but also under past presidents,” Belaro said.
“Now is also a good time for prayers,” he said.
On the sidelines of the Asean Regional Forum, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho.
Although both exchanged pleasantries, Cayetano said that it was frustrating as there seemed to be no opening for discussions or dialogue.
“I have been tasked by my Asean colleagues to convey this to you personally and likewise affirm Asean’s commitment to engaging your country within the Asean Regional Forum, given the importance of this platform for our continued discussions,” Cayetano told Ri.
Ri, on the other hand, thankedCayetano for conveying the sentiments of his fellow Asean ministers. The North Korean official said that he understood the Asean position, as he assured Cayetano that the message would reach Pyongyang.
Despite Philippine efforts at dialogue, Ri said North Korea would continue with plans to launch the missles to defend the country from a US threat.
Ri, in his statement, blamed the US for the current situation in the Korean Peninsula and said the Pyongyang’s “possession of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles is a legitimate option for self-defense in the face of a clear and real nuclear threat posed by the US.”
“We will, under no circumstances, put the nukes and ballistic rockets on the negotiating table,” Ri said, adding Pyongyang would “teach the US a severe lesson” if it used military force against North Korea.
Earlier, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose new sanctions against North Korea for its missile tests, including a ban on its exports of coal, iron, ore, lead, lead ore and seafood.
North Korea launched its second intercontinental ballistic missile test last week, which deepened international fears over its leader Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear weapons strike capabilities.
Instability in the Korean Peninsula has long worried the Philippines due to the large presence of Filipino workers there, numbering at least 57,000.
An escalation of conflict is also seen to affect at around 200,000 Filipinos in Japan. With Bill Casas