AFP: Chance of missile debris hitting Philippines remote
In this July 28, 2017, file photo distributed by the North Korean government on Saturday, July 29, 2017, shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. North Korea has been testing missiles at an unprecedented pace and threatening to launch some of those toward Guam. Pyongyang may be looking to eventually use the existence of its nuclear weapons to negotiate a peace treaty with the United States to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War and remove U.S. troops from the South. Until, and unless, that happens, Seoul probably will have little luck building bridges. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File
MANILA, Philippines – Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, Armed Forces of the Philippines Spokesperson , on Monday said there is a small possibility that North Korea’s missile debris may land in some parts of the Philippines.
Padilla said missile parts could disintegrate over some eastern and northern provinces of Luzon like Batanes and the coastal towns of Northern Appari and Aurora.
Despite this, Padilla repeatedly said that the probability of a North Korean missile or its part hitting the country is “remote.”
“In our case, although we say it’s remotely hitting the Philippines because the trajectory of any missile coming from North Korea coming to Guam will not pass over Philippines,” Padilla explained in an interview with CNN’s "The Source."
“In fact, dadaan siya sa southern part ng Japan but not any part of the Philippines,” he added.
The AFP official advised residents near the northern provinces to stay away from the areas mentioned. He said sturdy concrete establishments are the best places to be in case of a launch.
'There's still a need for preparation'
Padilla said the AFP and the government are not disregarding the possibility of the missile straying from its intended flight path.
The AFP spokesman cited that there have been series of missile tests conducted by North Korea which “exhibited degrees of accuracy already.”
“So ibig sabihin the guidance system (of North Korea) is being perfected, so if that is the case, there's no failure on the part of missile that they will launch,” he said.
According to Padilla, the government is treating the missile launch threat as a “civil defense” issue, the AFP and other government agencies are preparing for contingency plans.
“The probability of it not going straight... may end up having the missile land somewhere else .Those are the kinds of probability that we're preparing for. We see this as remote but just the same, preparation is very much needed,” the AFP official said.
The AFP official also said the Philippines will quickly get a notification if a missile is launched, with debris landing within an hour of a launch.
On Thursday, North Korea announced a detailed plan to launch a salvo of ballistic missiles toward Guam, a major military hub and home to US bombers, a move that if carried out would be its most provocative missile launch to date.
North Korea’s announcement warned that it is preparing a plan to fire four of its Hwasong-12 missiles over Japan and into waters around the tiny island, which hosts 7,000 US military personnel on two main bases and has a population of 160,000. —With reports from The Associated Press
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