MANILA -- After the failed rocket launch of North Korea, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council yesterday changed the red alert status to blue and also lifted the "no-fly" and "no-sail" zone declarations in Northern Luzon.

"The alert level is lifted from red to blue. No-fly zone, no-sail zone, no fishing zone are hereby lifted," Benito Ramos, NDRRMC executive director said.

Ramos said that all responders of the Office of Civil Defense in regions 1, 2, 3, Cordillera Administrative Region, 4A, 4B, Metro Manila and in Bicol have been advised of the relaxing of the alert level.

“All our responders, office of civil defense regions 1, 2,3 cordillera administrative region, 4-a, 4-b, the NCR and region 5 and all our technical working group and the council we now declare blue alert meaning half of our forces is still there to further assist our countrymen, especially the fishermen,” he said.

Ramos said that based on intelligence information relayed by the US to the Philippines, the whole rocket fell into the Yellow Sea in the western part of North Korea in less than a minute after it was launched.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin issued a statement confirming the failed launch and reiterated the Philippine government's call to the communist state to cease its efforts to develop nuclear weaponry.

“We confirm that the North Korean rocket launch has failed to complete its intended flight and fallen (into) the sea west of Korea. This location is far from the Philippines,” he said

“We reiterate our call to the north Koreans to abide by the UN resolution, turn away from exploring further ballistic missile experimentation and fully cooperate with the rest of the world,” Gazmin said.*PNA

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