By Vanne Elaine Terrazola  Senators have urged the government to close down businesses in the country that discriminate against Filipinos. They made the appeal following complaints on social media that some stores and restaurants owned by Chinese nationals in Makati, Muntinlupa, and Pasay cities were only catering to Chinese customers. Senator Koko Pimentel (ALBERT GARCIA / MANILA BULLETIN) Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Monday said business establishments that refuse to give their services to Filipinos should not be allowed to operate for supposedly violating laws against discrimination. "Business firms operating in Philippines are not allowed to discriminate. Limiting customers to Chinese people only is a form of discrimination. If Filipino-owned business establishments are not allowed to do this then all the more foreign-owned businesses here in the Philippines should not be allowed to do what Filipinos cannot do under the law," Pimentel said in a statement. "The law must be enforced evenly. Especially that in this form of discrimination, it is directed against the Filipino, the Filipino is the victim of the discrimination! Close them down for violating the Constitution," he appealed. Sen. Panfilo Lacson also expressed dismay over reports that some Chinese restaurants refuse to serve Filipinos. "Para tayong nating second class citizen sa sarili nating bayan. It’s bad enough na may discrimination lalo 'pag napunta tayo sa western countries...Pero narito tayo sa sariling bayan natin, hindi ka pa papapasukin para kumain sa isang Chinese restaurant? At ikaw ay Pilipino? 'Yan dapat pasara agad 'yan," Lacson said in a radio interview Sunday. (We are like second-class citizens in our own country. It's bad enough that Filipinos are being discriminated in western countries. But here in our own country, we are not allowed to enter and eat in a Chinese restaurant? And you are a Filipino? Those should be shut down.) "Of course may due process 'yan pero ang end state dapat makita natin sarhan. Kasi sobra na yan. Subukan mo nga, punta ka sa China magtayo ka ng maliit na tindahan walang Chinese characters at puro Pilipino na di ka tatanggap ng Chinese. Baka kabubukas mo pa lang dine-deport ka na," he added. (Of course there is due process but the end state is that we should see them closed down. Because that's too much. How about we try to go and put up a store in China, not place Chinese characters and not accept Chinese. You might end up being deported.) Lacson said the government should look into whether or not such establishments comply with current regulations, such tax remittances and foreign-equity requirements. Senator Joel Villanueva also pointed out that all businesses in the country, from big companies to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), should also comply laws on foreign ownership. He urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to monitors the resence of foreigner-owned establishments and make sure that they adhere with current laws and regulations, such as the Retail Trade Law and the MSME Law.