Manila: Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered government agencies to ensure the safety of Filipinos in the Korean peninsula amid renewed tensions there.
Aquino will convene his Cabinet to assess the situation.
An estimated 60,000 Filipinos live and work in South Korea, mostly employed in the country's manufacturing sector.
According to radio reports, the president has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration to draw up contingency measures in the event that there is a need to move Filipinos to safer areas or repatriate them.
Avoid confrontation
Edwin Lacierda, the president's spokesman, said that like most countries, the Philippines' position concerning issues involving the Koreas is for the two parties to avoid any gesture that would provoke armed confrontation.
"The Philippine government is calling for an end to the provocative actions and for sobriety on the two Koreas," he said.
The DFA said: "The [Philippine] Embassy [in Seoul] has contacted Filipino community residents near the area of conflict and advised them to keep... communication lines open."
