This is contained in the response of several embassies to a note verbale from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), demanding to know the basis for travel advisories issued by six governments regarding the risk of terrorist attacks in the Philippines, including in Metro Manila.

The US embassy, for its part, denied yesterday that the travel advisories were meant to pressure the Philippine government in connection with the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

“The advisories have nothing to do with the VFA,” US embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson said.

Diplomatic sources told The STAR yesterday that the intelligence report was shared with the DND, PNP and NICA ahead of the travel advisories issued first by Australia and the United Kingdom, followed the next day by Canada, New Zealand and the United States, and days later by France.

In a document obtained from DFA sources, the Australian embassy said, “We understand that appropriate Philippine agencies were briefed on 1 November on the detail of the reports that promoted Australia to reissue its travel advisory for the Philippines on 2 November.”

“All Australian travel advisories, including our travel advice for the Philippines, are kept under constant review and updated promptly to reflect new information or in response to changes in the safety and security environment,” the Australian embassy added.

President Aquino, apparently believing that the source of the intelligence report is the US, has publicly voiced suspicion that the advisories are part of an effort to pressure his government in connection with the review of the VFA between the two countries.

The Philippines is the largest recipient of US military assistance in Southeast Asia. For fiscal year 2010, the assistance amounts to $104.2 million.

Washington also recently approved a larger amount of development aid for Manila from the State Department’s Millennium Challenge Corp. The $434-million MCC compact was signed in New York in the presence of Mr. Aquino.

But the President has said he does not want a lopsided VFA. He has reorganized the Presidential Commission on the VFA, with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. as its head, to lay the groundwork for the VFA review.

The intelligence report noted a heightened risk of terrorist attacks in crowded areas such as shopping malls from Mindanao to Metro Manila. The UK advisory did not include Metro Manila and did not raise its alert level.

Included in the plot, according to the intelligence report, is the assassination of two foreign ambassadors. The President has voiced disbelief, noting that one of the envoys represents a country that has nothing to do with the global war on terror.

He lamented that allies should share intelligence information first before issuing travel warnings.

But officials in several of the embassies said that was done as early as Nov. 1, and it was up to Philippine security agencies to inform the President.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, meanwhile, said Mr. Aquino was not being onion skinned about the travel warnings but was only concerned about their impact on the country’s tourism and on the people’s sense of security.

But she said she was heartened by Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim’s report that the advisories would not affect the arrival of tourists during the holidays.

Valte also said that while the administration questioned the basis for the warnings, authorities did not let their guard down.

The government had enforced stricter security after the bus bombing in North Cotabato and would be on heightened alert for the Christmas season.

“As with any issue that comes up like this, the lesson that remains is constant vigilance for our officials, for our security forces involved, and for the public also. The possibility for us to become more secure is bigger when everyone is helping to achieve this end,” Valte said.

“Of course, we are also aware of what is happening outside the country and we will continue to secure the citizenry,” Valte said.

Valte also said they welcomed US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr.’s statement expressing confidence in his safety in the Philippines, even in Mindanao.

Valte said Thomas’ statement could also be considered a “vote of confidence” for the country.

“He explained that the travel advisory is issued every six months and they are not saying their citizens are prohibited from coming here,” Valte said.

Angara’s advice

Meanwhile, Sen. Edgardo Angara said Mr. Aquino should let his security officials do the talking regarding the terror alerts to avoid hurting the country’s diplomatic relations with other countries.

“My unsolicited comment is that President Noynoy should not answer issues about these alerts,” Angara said over radio station dwIZ.

“Have you heard (former British Prime Minister) Tony Blair or even (French) President (Nicolas) Sarkozy or other leaders of other countries complain about these threats in Europe?” he said.

Angara said the terror alerts are very sensitive issues that should be left by the President to his security officials.

“This issue, (because it’s) very sensitive, very, very alarming, can cause panic, you don’t comment on it publicly,” he said.

Normally, he said, a head of state confers with his intelligence officials regarding security threats and they are the ones who do the verification with the security officials of the country which raised the terror alert.

For his part, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said there is no basis for the filing of diplomatic protests against the countries that issued the terror alerts against the Philippines.

“If I were the Philippines, I would study the problem myself and ignore them. That is for the people, in the same way that we will tell our people ‘do not go to Iraq or Afghanistan.’ That’s the prerogative of those countries - to protect their nationals,” Enrile said.

But in the case of the US, Enrile said Mr. Aquino may have been right when he said that the two countries have an understanding to share information with each other.

On the issue of South Korea’s decision not to allow the entry of Filipino activists last weekend, Enrile said it’s the prerogative of a country to provide security to its citizens.

“It’s their prerogative to exclude anybody that they don’t want in the same way that they have to respect our decision to exclude their nationals in our country if, in the opinion of our leaders, they are detrimental to the interest of this country,” Enrile said.

Aurea Calica, Christina Mendez & Rainier Allen Mendoza, Philippine Star