Malacañang on Wednesday said none of the visiting foreign nationals, including Chinese, are being harassed in the country, stressing that all nationalities are welcome in the Philippines.
“Ang kanilang mga travel advisory ay it’s just a normal consular function of China. At we can assure China na hindi na po tayo nagta-target ng particular nationality or particular national na para i-harass (Their travel advisory is just a normal consular function of China. And we want to assure China that we are no longer targeting any particular nationality or individual to harass),” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
In an issued advisory posted on its website on Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines claimed that Chinese citizens and businesses have been "frequently interrogated and harassed" by Philippine authorities and that security risks for Chinese nationals have risen.
Further, Chinese citizens in the Philippines and those planning to go to the country were advised to “strengthen security precautions and emergency preparedness.”
Castro sees China’s remarks as related to Philippine regulations being enforced on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.
“Tandaan po natin, lahat po dito ay welcome, except po of course kapag gumagawa po ng krimen. I-implement po natin kung ano po ang batas (Let’s remember, everyone here is welcome, except of course when they commit a crime. Let’s implement what the law is),” she said.
Castro also clarified that there’s a separate issue involving Chinese nationals in POGOs as illegal activities are being accounted for.
“Malamang po nasasabi po nila ito, dahil sa ating pagpapatupad dito sa POGO na dapat ay mawala na sa atin, at karamihan po dito ay mga Chinese nationals. So, malamang po ay isa ito sa nagiging isyu po (They are probably saying this because of our implementation here on POGO which is now banned here. And most of those involved are Chinese nationals. So, this is probably one of the issues here),” she stressed.
Castro pointed out that the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs is open to discussion regarding the concerns raised by the Chinese government.
“Ia-assure po natin muli ang China na wala po tayong tina-target na particular national (We will again assure China that we are not targeting any particular national),” she said.