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A FILIPINO Chinese business group expressed concern over the plans of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to impose stricter visa policies for Chinese nationals visiting the Philippines.
The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) fears that requiring additional documents for visa application may discourage Chinese investors from doing business in the Philippines.
The DFA earlier announced that it plans to require Chinese applicants to submit a social insurance certificate, on top of other necessary documents, with the goal of weeding out troublemakers from legitimate tourists and travelers.
“Maraming nag-a-apply dito to look at possibilities of doing business in the Philippines. E baka pati sila, madamay, sayang,” FFCCCII president Cecilio Pedro told ABS-CBN News.
“Instead of the Philippines, they will invest in other parts of the world aside from the Philippines because of the restrictiveness of getting a visa,” he added.
Pedro said this could also lead to a drop in foreign tourists coming to the Philippines.
“Tourists are going to Thailand, to Malaysia, even to Singapore, and Vietnam instead of coming to the Philippines because they cannot easily get their visas to come here,” he said.
Based on data from the Department of Tourism (DOT), China has been the Philippines’ third highest source of foreign tourists from January to May 2024. South Korea and the United States of America topped the list.
The DFA’s move comes following the discovery of fraudulently obtained passports and visas resulting in the illicit entry and overstaying of numerous Chinese nationals, many of whom are linked to crimes related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) such as kidnapping, and human trafficking.
While the FFCCCII agreed that this issue should be dealt with, Pedro said that the government can go about it in a more direct way by going after these illegal POGOs.
“Let’s look at the POGOs. Let’s inspect the POGOs and see if the people working there are legitimate or not. Those that are not legitimate, e di pauwiin natin, ‘di ba?” said Pedro.
He also suggested working with the Chinese government in identifying unscrupulous individuals. (ABS-CBN News)