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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
April 2, 2025 | 7:25pm
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro conducts a press conference in Malacañan Palace on April 4, 2025.
RTV Malacañang
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang dismissed allegations of harassment against Chinese nationals in the Philippines, saying that the country welcomes everyone except those who break the law.
The statement came in response to a travel advisory issued by the Chinese Embassy, which claimed that local authorities were targeting Chinese citizens.
The Palace insisted on Wednesday, April 2 that there are no incidents of Chinese nationals being harassed in the Philippines.
“We can assure China that we are not targeting any particular nationality or a particular national to harass,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in Filipino at a press briefing.
The Palace official suggested that the Chinese Embassy’s travel advisory—issuance of which is a consular function—may have been prompted by the government’s crackdown on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). Most of those apprehended in anti-POGO operations were Chinese nationals, Castro said.
She added that the Department of Foreign Affairs is open to discussing the matter with its Chinese counterparts.
More on the alert. Aside from alleged harassment, the Chinese Embassy also warned its citizens about heightened political activity in the Philippines. The arrest and turnover of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) have sparked protests both for and against the move.
Possible reason behind the advisory. POGOs proliferated during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. They were formally banned under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order 74, which mandated their phaseout by the end of 2024.
Authorities have since raided POGO hubs and have arrested several Chinese nationals. Human trafficking victims rescued from these gambling dens are also often Chinese.
