04/27/2009 | 04:17 PM
(Updated 5:07 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is finalizing an advisory to more than 320 Filipinos in Mexico to avoid shaking hands, kissing (beso-beso), and traveling using the subway as the deadly swine flu continues to spread there.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ed Malaya told reporters on Monday that the DFA is still drafting the advisory that will be posted soon in the Philippine Embassy in Mexico.
Malaya said the advisory would warn overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to avoid intimate social interactions in Mexico, which is hardest hit by the swine flu outbreak.
The DFA said that there are 309 OFWs in Mexico, while 21 are permanent residents. No Filipino in Mexico has yet been affected by the swine flu outbreak, the DFA added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr said they are not yet quick to issue a travel ban to Mexico until the Philippine post there could give a thorough assessment of the situation.
Conejos advises Filipinos in Mexico to report to their local health authorities and inform the embassy should they fall ill to the killer virus.
Malacanang however, warned Filipinos against going to countries where there is an outbreak of the swine flu virus.
"We are encouraging our countrymen, if it's not urgent, to avoid going to countries such as Mexico to avoid the disease or the virus," deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said.
But Fajardo was quick to clarify that there is no travel ban to Mexico, the US, Canada, and other countries affected by the swine flu.
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