Guam residents remain calm amid North Korea's missile threat



Residents of Guam have remained calm and are on a business-as-usual mode despite North Korea's threat to attack the Pacific Island state, a Filipino resident said Tuesday.
"Ang mga tao dito ay sanay na sanay na sa threat na 'yan kaya kalmadong kalmado. Business as usual, parang nagbabakasyon lang lahat, so hindi iniinda ng mga ordinary residente itong threat ni Kim. Kung tutuusin, wala lang, kalma lang," Gina Tabonares, a freelance journalist, said in an interview on radio dzBB.
Tabonares said that Guam residents are likewise used to threats of earthquake and storms which have strengthened their resiliency.
"Unang-una kasi sanay po kami sa threat ng lindol, sa threat ng bagyo. 'Yung resiliency nabubuo na kahit 'yung mga bata hindi sila nagpa-panic. Kasi ang Guam nasa ilalim ng maraming bulkan na palagi kaming natre-tremor pero hindi kami nayayanig. Guam is Catholic-dominated so 'yung state ng Guam ay strong and at the same time, 'yung state namin sa military ay very strong too," she said.
North Korea issued the threat after US President Donald Trump said that Pyongyang will be met with "fire and fury" if it continues to threaten the United States.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has placed Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands under Alert Level 1 amid North Korea's nuclear missile threat.
Under Alert Level 1 (precautionary phase), Filipinos in Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota are urged to be aware of unfolding events and to continue monitoring reports from reliable media outlets and official advisories.
The DFA also assured that contingency plans are in place for 65,000 Filipinos in South Korea and 42, 835 in Guam.
Meanwhile, Tabonares said that Guam's Homeland Security has disseminated fliers and has dispatched its officials to take care of each sector.
"Halimbawa, education committee, 'yung head ng committee on education will take care of the schools and 'yung mga teachers kung paano idi-drill 'yung mga bata in the event na magkaroon nga ng ganitong crisis," she said.
"And at the same time, kung nasa ospital ka naman, kung health committee ka, you'll take care of the facilities and you will ready all the facilities in the event na magkaroon ng kaguluhan. So kanya-kanyang readiness plans. Palibhasa nga palagi kaming may bagyo, sanay ang mga tao sa mga ganitong readiness," she added. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/KG, GMA News

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