Americans Urged to Avoid Areas of Philippine Unrest

The U.S. Embassy, in its most extensive travel advisory since Corazon Aquino became president, urged Americans on Thursday to avoid large areas of the Philippines because of “relatively high levels of unrest.”

In other Thursday developments, the country’s main Muslim guerrilla organization announced that peace talks with the government have collapsed, and the military said that eight policemen died in an ambush by Communist rebels.

The embassy advisory urged Americans to stay away from the Cagayan Valley of northern Luzon, the country’s biggest island; the Muslim-dominated Sulu island chain, and all of Mindanao except the cities of Iligan, Davao and Cagayan de Oro. Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island, is about the size of Indiana.

In addition, the statement urged “extreme caution” when visiting most of northern and southeastern Luzon as well as parts of the central islands of Samar, Leyte, Negros and Panay.

Together, the regions make up at least half the Philippines’ land area.

“These areas are experiencing relatively high levels of unrest and therefore hold the potential for violence,” the statement said. “Therefore, U.S. citizens are strongly urged to avoid travel to and within these areas.”