THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday advised the public to keep watch for the possible effect of North Korea's plan to launch ballistic missiles at the United States' (US) Pacific territory of Guam.
AFP spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla Jr. was not discounting the possibility that the Philippines may be hit if North Korea proceeds with its threat of a missile strike against Guam, which is situated about 1,500 miles to the west of the Philippines and just more than 2,000 miles from North Korea.
“If ever it (North Korea’s ballistic missiles launch) disintegrates in the atmosphere, potentially, it would have shattered debris that may scatter around in the area or its trajectory so it could have hit some northern coastal areas,” Padilla told Palace reporters.
“So we have to forewarn our citizens to be on the lookout,” he added.
Padilla made the warning following North Korean Strategic Force of the Korean People’s Army said Thursday that is was “seriously examining a plan” to launch a missile in Guam, a remote island in the western Pacific Ocean carrying a population of 160,000.
North Korea was prompted to issue such pronouncement after US President Donald Trump warned that Pyongyang would face “fire and fury lie like the world has never seen,” should it continue to threaten America.
North Korea was reportedly mulling to send Hwasong-12 intermediate-range strategic ballistic rockets “to interdict the enemy forces on major military bases on Guam.”
Amid the growing tensions between the US and North Korea, Padilla said it was a “source of concern” but he remained optimistic that the impending missile attacks would not cause an impact to the Philippine territory.
“We don’t see it as potentially hitting us in any way because it is directed towards an outer island in the Pacific itself,” the AFP spokesman said.
Padilla was also confident that there “is still a lot of room for dialogue” to thwart the North Korea’s plan.
Assistant Secretary Kristoffer James Purisima, deputy administrator for administration of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said the government is closely monitoring the potential missile strike.
Purisima said the OCD would also coordinate with concerned government agencies to ensure the safety and security of the Filipino people, should the Philippines get hit by the forthcoming attack by North Korea against the US.
“OCD is closely monitoring the situation. We will coordinate with the DND, AFP, and relevant government agencies and meet necessary assessments in order to prepare appropriate contingency plans, alerts, and warnings for the awareness and protection of our civilian populists,” he said.
“And we assure our civilian populists, we assure the people that preparations are being made for any eventuality and we will inform communities that may be affected,” he added. (VoxPop Philippines)
