Philippines

Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution

Reissued after periodic review with minor edits. Exercise increased caution in the Philippines due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Do Not Travel to: The Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping . Marawi City in Mindanao due to terrorism and civil unrest . Reconsider Travel to: Other areas of Mindanao due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping . Country Summary: Terrorists and armed groups have carried out kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks targeting public areas like tourist sites, markets, and local government facilities in the Philippines. Violent crimes are also common in the Philippines such as robbery, kidnappings, and physical assaults. Protests happen in the Philippines and could turn violent and/or result in traffic jams and road closures with limited capacity of the local government to respond. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to certain areas of the country as stated below. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to the Philippines. If you decide to travel to the Philippines: Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information. Avoid demonstrations. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. Review the Country Security Report for the Philippines. Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist . Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel. We highly recommend that you buy insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancellation coverage The Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea – Level 4: Do Not Travel Do not travel to these areas for any reason. Terrorist and armed groups in the Sulu Archipelago and the Sulu Sea have historically engaged in kidnappings for ransom on land and at sea, in addition to bombings and other attacks. These incidents often target foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, local government entities, and security personnel. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in these areas. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas . Marawi City in Mindanao – Level 4: Do Not Travel Do not travel to these areas for any reason. Civilians face risk of death or injury from ongoing clashes between terrorist group remnants and Philippine security forces in Marawi. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to Marawi City. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens there. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas . Mindanao (except Davao City, Davao del Norte Province, Siargao Island, and the Dinagat Islands) – Level 3: Reconsider Travel Terrorist and armed groups in Mindanao have historically engaged in kidnappings for ransom, in addition to bombings and other attacks. These incidents often target foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, as well as civilians, local government entities, and security forces. Due to the risks, U.S. government employees working in the Philippines must obtain special authorization to travel to areas outside of Davao City, Davao del Norte Province, Siargao Island, and the Dinagat Islands. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in those areas. Visit the U.S. Department of State's country reports on terrorism to learn more. Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas .

Source: U.S. Department of State

Official advisory matched

AEGIS uses official advisories when matched, then supplements with reference, economic, security, event, and embassy-verification layers.

This packet supports planning awareness and should be validated against official travel, embassy, clearance, and command guidance before operational use.

Low Economic Stress • score 29/100

Economic stress is treated as a driver for unrest, migration, corruption, criminal pressure, institutional capacity, and resiliency. It informs PMESII-Economic and trajectory analysis but does not replace official advisory guidance.

• Recent GDP growth is 4.4%, giving a baseline indication of economic direction.
• Inflation is not currently the dominant economic stress signal in the latest World Bank indicator set.
• Unemployment is below the primary AEGIS watch threshold in the latest indicator set.
• Debt burden does not appear to be the primary economic stress driver based on the latest available indicator.

30 day: Elevated watch

90 day: Elevated instability potential

12 month: Monitor governance and economic resilience

U.S. Embassy / Mission

Emergency support and mission details must be verified through official State Department channels before travel or planning decisions.

• Military branch names and roles require reference ingestion.
• Police/security force structure and jurisdiction require validation.
• Corruption, detention, checkpoint, and emergency response reliability require current reporting.
• Route-level conditions, local event reporting, and authorized clearance requirements require current validation.