Negros solon slams Japan travel advisory

The chairman of the House foreign relations committee denounced yesterday a travel advisory from the Japanese government urging Japanese to desist from traveling to the Philippines.

"The travel advisory was absolutely unjust and deserves the strongest condemnation as it put the Christian-dominated Philippines in the league of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and other radical Muslim countries," said Rep. Jose Apolinario Lozada (Lakas, Negros Occidental).

He said for the information of Japan, the United States and other nations, "this country is not at war" and it is merely participating in the US-led global campaign against terrorism.

"Except for the few specific areas in Basilan where military operations against the local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf are ongoing, the country is relatively peaceful and safe to live in," he said.

He pointed out that in fact, thousands of Japanese students and businessmen have been living here for many years now.

Lozada urged the Japanese government to seriously consider its travel advisory.

"There is no doubt that the ties between the Japanese and Philippine governments would be further strengthened once the controversial advisory is withdrawn," he said.

Earlier, the US State Department issued a similar warning to Americans on travel to the Philippines.

Several Philippine officials protested the ban but American authorities insisted on their advisory.

For his part, Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Lakas, Surigao del Norte) said Japan’s travel advisory "should make us seriously worried."

"If the advisory is not rescinded, then we might as well bid sayonara to the 300,000 Japanese tourists who visit our country annually," he said.

He said if 75,000 of these tourists cancel their trips, the loss to the economy would be about P1.9 billion, assuming each of them would spend $500.

He added that the flow of Japanese investments would also be affected because of safety issues.