Manila: The Philippine government said it is closely monitoring the situation in Egypt amidst the political upheaval unfolding in the North African country where there are 6,500 Filipinos.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, quoting a report from Philippine Charge d'Affaires Eduardo Pablo Maglaya, said the Philippine Embassy in Egypt "is closely monitoring the developments on the protest actions in the country and has readied contingency measures in case there is further deterioration of the situation."
The Philippine government said it is prepared to "relocate our citizens to safer areas if it becomes necessary to do so."
As always, the safety of our citizens is the paramount concern and we are doing what we can to anticipate and attend to their needs," a statement issued by the Palace in Manila stated.
There are some 6,569 Filipinos in Egypt, mostly in Cairo and Alexandria, including professionals and about 1,674 students enrolled in Cairo's prestigious universities.
Maglaya for his part, said that the Embassy has activated a Crisis Management Centre at the Embassy chancery, and established a 24-hour shift of duty officers to ensure immediate access to the Embassy by Filipino community members and to be able to respond to rapidly changing developments.
"The Embassy has also issued an advisory to the leaders and members of the Filipino communities in the area, and advised them to stay indoors, steer clear of public places—especially sites of mass protest—and avoid involvement in political actions. We are in constant communication with the Filipinos here," Maglaya said.
He said that the Philippines also call on all parties to maintain calm and exercise restraint. It expresses the hope that violence will not escalate, and for an early resolution of this crisis.
Despite the tense situation and outbreaks of violence in the streets of Caito, the Embassy said they have yet to receive reports of foreign nationals getting hurt in the demonstrations against the government of President Hosni Mubarak.
Maglaya said maintaining communications is increasingly difficult as mobile phone and Internet services have suffered breakdowns.
Early Saturday, Mubarak fired his Cabinet while vowing sweeping reforms. Over the past two days protesters battled police with stones and firebombs, burned down the ruling party headquarters and defied a night curfew declared by authorities.
News reports said thousands stayed out on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.
