US-Korea drill worries Phl

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is worried that a joint United States-South Korea military exercise scheduled on Sunday might heighten tensions in the region and stir anxieties among civilians, including Filipino workers in the Korean peninsula.

 “The coming exercise is creating anxiety because we have so many OFWs (overseas Filipino workers). This is the uncertain factor in the equation today,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. said yesterday in Filipino in an interview with radio dzRH.

“I hope the exercise will not become another provocative act,” he said. A carrier group led by the aircraft carrier USS George Washington is steaming into Korean waters to join the exercise.

Last Tuesday, North Korea shelled a tiny South Korean island, killing four people and burning 19 houses.

“We have a contingency plan that’s being prepared by the DFA and the embassy. The plan is detailed and there is a crisis management committee. We have a movement plan in the event of hostilities,” Conejos said.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, for her part, said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) board has initially set aside P25 million as part of contingency measures.

“The fund is being readied for any eventuality and the OWWA board may even provide additional money if the need arises,” Baldoz said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said they were ready to help evacuate 60,000 Filipinos in South Korea in the event of a full-blown war.

“If we are asked and if there is a need, we would help,” Tamayo said. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan