Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday said the new travel warning by the United States on the country is an "improvement" over the previous advisories issued by Washington.

The U.S. State Department renewed its travel warning to the Philippines, citing continuing terrorist threats and insurgent activities, particularly in Mindanao. But this time, "there was liberalization on the travel advisory for the Philippines," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said.

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez, for his part, said U.S. latest travel warning did not include Metro Manila any more, which is an "improvement".

"The recent travel advisory of the U.S. State Department is an improvement over previous one as it omitted specific reference to any area of the country, including Manila, except Mindanao and Sulu," Hernandez said in text message.

"It also noted more controlled and safety conditions prevailing in the Mindanao cities of Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro, " Hernandez said.

Despite modifications made on the travel warning, Hernandez did not say if Manila will still ask Washington to rescind the advisory, which may impact on the country's tourism industry.

A U.S. travel warning, issued for a specific country that is perceived dangerous or unstable, is reviewed every six months. In the latest warning, the State Department advised U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to the Philippines, specifically the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao.

U.S. citizens and its embassy staff were also asked to defer non-essential travel to Sulu "due to the high threat of kidnapping of international travelers and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism there."

At present, there are about 400,000 U.S. citizens living and working in the Philippines.