The Philippine government on Saturday assured Filipinos in Egypt and their families back home that the government is ready to protect its citizens in the troubled Mideast country, and is prepared to move them to safer ground if the situation worsens.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview with state-run DZRB that President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the Department of National Defense, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of Labor and Employment to meet on Saturday to determine what other measures may be taken in view of developments in Egypt. "Here in Manila, we are monitoring the situation and our embassy in Cairo has contingencies in place and is prepared to relocate our citizens to safer areas if it becomes necessary to do so. As always, the safety of our citizens is the paramount concern and we are doing what we can to anticipate and attend to their needs," Valte said.

She said that relocation centers have been set up in Cairo and in Alexandria.

Valte said Malacanang is concerned over developments in Egypt, which hosts 6,500 Filipinos, and hoped that normalcy would be restored.

President Hosni Mubarak announced early Saturday that he has ordered the government to resign, vowing that the new cabinet will bring more democracy to the country, in response to the current massive anti-government protests in Egypt.