■ LONDON WARNS AGAINST TRAVEL TO MINDANAO, SOUTHERN CEBU

The British Government on Tuesday, Aug. 14, issued an updated travel advisory advising its nationals against traveling to Palawan because of a heightened risk from kidnapping.

In a statement posted on its official website gov.uk, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also advised against all travel to western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago because of terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups.

Except for “essential travel,” British nationals are also discouraged from traveling to Southern Cebu, “up to and including the municipalities of Dalaguete and Badian, due to the threat of terrorism.”

London also warned its citizens that “there’s a high incidence of street crime and robbery throughout the Philippines. You should take sensible precautions.”

The British Government noted that martial law is in place in Mindanao until the end of 2018 while a “state of national emergency on account of lawless violence” remains in place across the rest of the country.

“Expect random checkpoints, security patrols and a more visible routine security presence. You should cooperate with the Philippine authorities and allow extra time to pass through security checks. Make sure you carry a form of identification with you,” the advisory stated.

The same advisory noted, however, that most of the visits by British nationals to the Philippines have been “trouble-free.” Around 154,000 British nationals visited the Philippines in 2015.