No specific threats vs Americans --AFP

From: philstar.com

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it has not detected any specific threat against Americans in Metro Manila or the rest of the country despite an advisory by the US Embassy to the contrary.

“As far as the AFP is concerned, we have not monitored any specific threat,” AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said.

A senior military intelligence official who asked not to be named also downplayed possible attacks against Americans. The official said the intelligence community is continuously conducting efforts to validate the supposed threat.

The official pointed out that Filipinos, Muslims and Christians are mostly learned individuals, which is why there has never been a suicide bombing in the country. 

The US embassy had warned of “a threat against American citizens in metropolitan Manila, specifically the Pasay City neighborhood” which hosts a housing facility for US government personnel.

The embassy said the threat, which was detected by “reliable security forces,” remains in effect until Oct. 10.

US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. has ordered all US government facilities in Manila to 

“augment security.”

Americans have been urged to take extreme caution in their daily routine, maintain a low profile, change their travel routes and social routines and consider canceling gatherings and celebrations that could be construed as “American events.”###