Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri. (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines “may” be put on the tourism blacklist of China for continuing to allow Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) to do business, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri clarified on Tuesday night.
Zubiri earlier announced that the Philippines was on the blacklist, citing Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian, who he met on Monday.
In a message to reporters, he said: “During our meeting with Ambassador Huang, the tone of his statement was that the Philippines is already being watched as a tourist hotspot and have been warning their countrymen of possible crimes that could happen to them due to POGO.
“Maybe it was lost in translation, and what the good Ambassador meant was we could be possibly blacklisted as he mentioned they do that to countries who promote gambling for their countrymen.”
But the Chinese Embassy in Manila denied the statement shortly after Zubiri made it.
Zubiri said that the term “blacklist” came from Huang — so there was “strong possibility that we are either already in the list or could be added on that list” should POGOs continue to prosper.
Zubiri stressed that the envoy’s message was “loud and clear”: POGOs are illegal in China, and people promoting it will be arrested. The Chinese government is asking the Philippines to stop hosting POGOs, and it could affect tourism potential if operations continue.
Also recently, the senator attributed the dip in the arrival of Chinese tourists to the blacklist.
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means has started a probe into the link between POGOs and a recent series of kidnappings.
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