UK removes Cebu from travel advisory

MANILA, Philippines — The United Kingdom (UK) has removed south Cebu from its list of areas to be avoided by its citizens when travelling to the Philippines due to terror threats.

“The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) no longer advises against all but essential travel to south Cebu,” the UK embassy in Manila said in a Twitter post yesterday.

South Cebu has been included in the UK’s travel advisory “due to threat of terrorism” since May 2017.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino earlier asked the UK government to lift the travel warning it issued over towns on the southern part of the island.

Meanwhile, the FCO continued to advise its citizens against traveling to western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago because of terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups.

“The FCO advises against all but essential travel to the remainder of Mindanao (excluding Camiguin, Dinagat and Siargao islands) due to the threat of terrorism,” it said.

The FCO also warned UK nationals against increases in election-related violence in the runup to the May 13 midterm polls.

“The Bureau of Immigration has specifically warned foreign nationals against participating in public protests and political rallies. Foreign nationals who participate in these activities may be detained and deported for violating Philippine immigration laws,” it said.