Fair is fair

Sure, we want tourism to grow, but hell, let’s charge these Americans, Canadians and nationals of other countries with the same treatment! No more free visas!

President Duterte has ordered an entry ban on Philippine soil against two American lawmakers who had proposed the amendment to deny Philippine officials implicated in the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima of entry to the United States. This was obviously based on the lies Leila, the former political persecutor of the political foes, such as the then opposition senators, of her yellow patron, Noynoy Aquino, yet she has the face to claim that she is a politically persecuted prisoner. What bull she spews!

The two American senators deserve to be banned from stepping on Philippine soil. But that’s not all Duterte ordered.

US Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy proposed the amendment to prohibit the entry of Philippine government officials who had a supposed hand in the “politically-motivated” case against De Lima.

But what irony. These US senators, who participated in that amendment in the 2020 budget bill, are plugging for the country’s chief political persecutor during the yellow regime of her patron Aquino, sending to jail the opposition senators and had them detained for years on end. And she complains about her detention for less than two years, and in a better cell, probably with an air conditioner and electronic gadgets, such as iPhones and computers, since she has her daily diatribe against Duterte and her foes sent directly to media for publication. And she is not being censored, even when the politically persecuted foes of her yellow patron were, incidentally. See, we have a free press and an independent judicial system and courts of law!

But it is not only the barring of the two senators that has been ordered by Duterte. There’s even more than just the two US senators’ travel ban. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo announced, on the say so of Duterte, that should the US government enforce the barring of Philippine officials, they will require a visa from American citizens who want to enter the country.

Said Panelo: “If they will enforce this provision in the US budget, then we will be compelled to require all Americans entering into this country to secure a visa, regardless of their purpose.”

He also assured that Duterte was aware of the order’s repercussions. “Once the President makes the decision, all circumstances are factored in,” Panelo added.

At this time, all American tourists or US businessmen who do business through meetings with officials of American firms, all come to the Philippines visa free. America has never given the same free visa treatment to Filipinos who try to make it to America. Too lopsided and unfair these visa treatments are made by America, despite the fact that we are at parity with the United States.

While it can perhaps be argued that there are many Filipinos who try to enter the USA unlawfully at times, selling whatever they own and even getting into hock with more loans just to be able to seek greener pastures with a fake passport that was paid for with thousands of pesos, it can also be said that there are also Americans who enter the Philippines, perhaps not illegally, since the Philippine visa is given free. Most often, they enter without any questions from our immigration bureau unless of course that US citizen is on the immigration list, either engaged in drugs, is a pedophile, tutors the making of bombs to Islamic militants or some other criminal act committed, or they stay longer than the 30-day free visa courtesy of the Philippine government.

This should change for Filipinos to have their dignity back that has been trod on too much by the US.

Filipinos, whether they are legal tourists or visiting the US for other purposes, pay over a hundred dollars (over P8,000-plus) at local banks for their visa application fee to the US Embassy in the Philippines and all done before a date for an interview with embassy officers, without any guarantee of getting a valid visa for travel to the US.

There have been many times when an American visa is denied despite the Filipino US visa seeker having the capacity to fund his trip to the US. Still, it has to be said that the US or any other foreign country has the power to deny anyone its officers deem unfit to enter their country and without any reason at all offered, as that is their right — just as the Philippines and other independent countries have the right to deny visas to foreigners — and even deny entry once foreigners set foot on American, Canadian, or any other country’s soil.

In similar fashion, the Philippines has the right to do exactly the same.

But what the hell, the Philippines should do even more and not just give a Philippine visa to foreigners for free, especially when such visas are not reciprocal!

Sure, we want tourism to grow, but hell, let’s charge these Americans, Canadians and nationals of other countries with the same treatment! No more free visas! Charge these would-be tourists seeking a Philippine visa exactly the same price the Filipinos who want to travel to other countries pay. Fair is fair and don’t anybody — especially our government officials — bow to non-reciprocal foreign countries unless, of course, we have no-balls Philippine officials!

Happy New Year on New Year’s Eve to all my readers! Enjoy! The year goes by so swiftly!