Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Wednesday, October 12 said China should first recognize the country’s maritime claims in the West Philippine Sea before imposing a “tourism blacklist” against the Philippines.

Ejercito issued the statement in response to Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian’s warning that the Philippines had been blacklisted or is about to be blacklisted for accommodating Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) which are illegal in China.

“Before threatening the Philippines with a ban on Chinese tourists, China should first respect our territorial integrity. Ibalik niyo muna ang West Philippine Sea,” Ejercito said.

Huang had earlier refuted Zubiri’s revelation during the joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on the proliferation of POGO activities in the country calling it “misinformation.”

For her part, Senator Pia Cayetano said she too is also open to banning the operation of Chinese-backed POGOs in the Philippines.

Cayetano said she is open to support the call on banning POGOs even if she ewas the one who pursued the enactment into law of Republic Act No. 11590 or the law taxing and regulating POGO operations.

“I’m totally fine with banning it. Di ba? Kasi pa regulate regulate ka pa eh hindi naman natin nako kontrol. At nasasaktan mismo ang mammayan (What’s the use of regulating them when you can’t even control them. Besides, our citizens are also the one hurting). So I’d be very open to banning that,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano also pointed out the revenue projections committed during the time the measure was being deliberated were P30-billion, “but the actual collection is just 10 percent of that.”

“No amount of money can justify the lost of lives, the criminal environment that we are living in...There is no amount to justify the damage that’s being done. What if tinax mo nga kung nasisira mo naman ang buhay ng marami (So what if you tax them and yet they are destroying the lives of so many people),” she stressed.