MANILA, Philippines – Saudi Arabia warned its nationals in the Philippines to avoid public places as clashes rage in Marawi City, a report said.

Arab News, the first English-language newspaper in Saudi Arabia, reported that the Saudi embassy in Manila issued this warning on Thursday, June 29.

“Given the current security situation in Marawi (in the southern) Philippines, and the frequent events of other areas in the Philippines and threats by terrorist groups targeting foreign tourists, the embassy recommends that its dear citizens in the Philippines avoid public places, take caution, act calmly, and contact the embassy through the emergency number for Saudi affairs,” said the Saudi embassy’s warning, as quoted by Arab News on Thursday.

Rappler is still trying to reach the Saudi embassy in the Philippines for a full copy of the statement, as of posting time. 

For more than a month now, government troops and local terrorists have been in battle in Marawi City, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in southern Philippines. 

Recently, a memorandum about an alleged bomb plot in Metro Manila circulated on social media. 

The police confirmed that the document is authentic, but clarified that it is raw intelligence information, or “chismis” (rumors) in short. – Rappler.com