(Eagle News) — Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella assured the public on Thursday the government had in place “contingency plans” for Filipinos in Guam, following North Korea’s pronouncements it was reviewing plans to strike United States military targets there.
“As far as I know, especially regarding Filipinos there, the embassies and consulates also in Hagatna have contingency plans which are regularly updated to enable them to respond to emergencies,” Abella said in a press briefing in Malacanang.
Asked whether the National Security Council had been convened, Abella said “he has not received word” that this was the case.
“I will confirm if there are any plans to call (for a convening) of the NSC,” he said.
The NSC is the principal body that advises the President on the “proper coordination and integration of plans and policies affecting national security.”
It is composed of 35 leader-members from the executive and legislative branches of government.
In this case, the NSC includes Vice President Leni Robredo, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, the majority and minority leaders of both Houses of Congress, the chairs of the Senate and House committees involved in national security concerns, and the members of the Cabinet.
Also included in the NSC are former Presidents Benigno Aquino III, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Joseph Estrada, and Fidel Ramos.
The US on Wednesday warned North Korea that the pursuit of its nuclear drive could lead to the collapse of Kim Jong-Un’s regime, as US President Donald Trump brandished what he said was America’s nuclear might as a powerful deterrent.
The further escalation in Washington’s war of words with Pyongyang came a day after Trump sent told Kim his country faced “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
Early Thursday North Korea reacted by saying Trump was not a reasonable man.
It also elaborated on a threat to attack the tiny US Pacific territory of Guam, saying its military would have a “missile strike plan ready by mid-August” for Kim’s approval. (Agence France Presse)