The federal government has issued a travel advisory for dozens of provinces across the Philippines due to threats of terrorism and an increasing level of crime.

Canadians are being urged to avoid any and all travel to Western and Central Mindanao, including the autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao, and travel to the southern Sulu Sea. Only essential travel to Eastern Mindanao is currently recommended.

Violent clashes between the military, police and terrorist and rebel groups, in addition to threats of kidnapping and piracy precipitated the national advisory according to the government’s travel website. 

Canadians are urged to avoid these 28 provinces of the Southeast Asian country:

Western, Central Mindanao and southern Sulu Sea

Eastern Mindanao

Basilan

Agusan del Norte

Cotabato

Agusan del Sur

Lanao del Norte

Bukidnon

Lanao del Sur

Camiguin

Maguindanao

Compostela Valley

Misamis Occidental

Davao del Norte

North Cotabato

Davao del Sur

Sarangani

Davao Occidental

South Cotabato

Davao Oriental

Sultan Kudarat

Dinagat Islands

Sulu

Misamis Oriental

Tawi-Tawi

Surigao del Norte

Zamboanga del Norte

Surigao del Sur

Zamboanga del Sur

 

Zamboanga Sibugay

  

Travellers to the archipelagic country are also being urged to take special precautions for the Zika virus, and the government is recommending pregnant women or women planning on becoming pregnant avoid travel to the Philippines altogether.

The Zika virus can cause several birth defects in fetuses, including microcephaly, where the brain does not properly develop due to a smaller-than-normal head.

Earlier Tuesday, Ottawa agreed to pay for the costs to ship tonnes of Canadian garbage from a port near the Philippine city of Manila to Vancouver.

Last month, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gave Canada until May 15 to get the containers out of the port near Manila where they have been rotting for nearly six years. The 69 shipping containers full of garbage have been rusting in the Philippines for nearly six years.

Canada has two consulates in the Philippines, in the cities of Manila and Cebu, and can provide consular services for travellers requiring assistance overseas.

With files from The Canadian Press

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