Afraid to come to the Philippines?

CHENGDU – While here on the third day of our trip on official invitation by the Chinese Foreign Ministry last Friday, we learned about the news that tropical storm “Mario” battered the Philippines. From international newscasts, including the state-run CCTV of China, we saw video footage of flash floods inundating Metro Manila with “Ondoy”-like rainfall in 2009.

We flew here as part of the 15-man Philippine Media Southwest China Economic and Cultural Familiarization Tour last September 17 when Mario was just developing as a low pressure area. It was already raining intermittently when we left Manila.

There is no direct flight from Manila to Chengdu. It was also raining in Guangzhou when we arrived after a little over two-hour flight. We had to wait at the Guangzhou New Baiyun international airport for more than an hour until the weather improved. We caught the tail-end of typhoon “Luis” which crossed to South China Sea after it hit first the Philippines. So all flights were delayed.

Notwithstanding the bad weather condition in the Philippines, the New Baiyun airport in Guangzhou was filled with huge number of Manila-bound Chinese travelers.

They are still coming in droves to the Philippines oblivious of the most recent travel advisory issued no less by their Chinese embassy in Manila.

It is simply because it’s not a travel ban but a fair warning to help keep themselves safe while in the Philippines. Chinese nationals were warned of possible risks to their lives and properties from criminal elements in the Philippines preying on tourists like them. The Embassy of China in Manila, headed by newly installed ambassador Zhao Jianhua, cautioned their nationals about the spate of crime incidence that victimized at least 18 of their fellow Chinese nationals since January this year.

From official reports received by the Embassy in Manila, they were victims of petty theft and armed robbery. But worst, at least five were reported to have been killed due to kidnap-for-ransom.

Incidentally, Ambassador Zhao is currently on sick leave and has gone back to Beijing for treatment, according to Li Lingxiao, official spokeswoman of the Chinese embassy. There is nothing serious about the ambassador’s sickness, she hastily added. I gathered he has a high sugar blood problem that requires his hospital treatment and rest at the same time.

The Chinese embassy travel advisory came just a few weeks after the South Korean Embassy also called the attention of the Philippine government about the spike of crimes that victimized their nationals. From January to August this year, at least nine South Korean nationals were reported killed in separate crimes that took place in different parts of the Philippines.

No less than South Korean ambassador Hyuk Lee sought audience with Philippine National Police (PNP) director-general Alan Purisima to request for immediate solution of these crimes to serve the ends of justice, especially for the sake of the families of the murdered victims.

The ambassador, however, was candid enough to admit that certain types of South Korean tourists come to the Philippines to conduct their “risky business.” He stopped short of what he meant but just chortled a bit. These types of Koreans, however, he stressed, are very few and who are obviously into dangerous liaisons with criminals, if not getting into police trouble.

Reading through such diplomatic language, it is indirectly saying not all tourists are guilt-free. But this is not to say let’s allow Filipino criminals to prey on these foreign criminals coming to the Philippines as tourists. Whoever does the crime must pay and do time in jail.

The reported crimes that prompted the Chinese government to issue a travel warning to their nationals should thus be seen in the same light.

Just a week ago, Philippine anti-illegal drug operatives hauled off about P4 billion worth of “shabu” from three mainland Chinese nationals who were caught red-handed keeping them in a house located in an exclusive village in Pampanga.

Much earlier, our Immigration authorities caught close to a hundred mainland Chinese nationals who were found with no valid working permit at a construction project in Batangas.

As guardians of their nationals who come in the country, the Chinese embassy like any other foreign embassies of course, must assist those who get into legal trouble in the host government and ensure the rights and welfare of their own people are protected. Travel warning, or travel warden that the United States embassy issues, is a notice for all nationals to take precautions while traveling to the Philippines.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry official here cited a total of 312,400 tourists went to the Philippines from January to September this year alone. This is compared to a total arrival from China that reached 426,000 for the entire year in 2013.

Given so much traffic of Chinese tourists in the Philippines, we teased Charlie why they issued the travel advisory. “Simply because we cannot even protect our own selves!” he chuckled in reply.

The travel advisory, however, was enough to scare China-based companies that purportedly requested budget airline Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airways Philippines to cancel 149 chartered flights to and from China starting this month.

The cancellation would affect 24,138 passengers and forgo P284 million in potential revenues.

I would not bet on that from what we are seeing on the ground here. The Chinese people continue to see the Philippines as a prime tourist destination for them, despite travel warnings.

In fact, the Chinese embassy in Manila has been preparing to put into motion the creation of a consulate in Davao City. They have existing consulate office in Cebu. In reciprocal basis, the Philippines will put up a consulate office right here in Chengdu City. So who is afraid to come to the Philippines?