Aquino relatives- Not Ready for Tourism!

The Manila Times opines that “the new Foreign Affairs spokesman, Raul Hernandez, was quoted as saying that strong action was needed to properly deal with “rude, violent and ill-mannered” visitors...

Are tourist visas application forms now going to ask about an applicant’s manners and social graces?

It seems reasonable to screen for criminals entering the country as tourists, but is there a law against rudeness?”

Aquino relatives- Not Ready for Tourism!

Philippine officials seem to have overreacted to an incident involving the President’s brother-in-law and two Chinese travel writers visiting the country upon our government’s invitation. Some reports said that the “arrogant” Chinese grabbed Eldon Cruz, the husband of the President’s eldest sister, by the collar after he told them to be careful about bumping into other passengers aboard a Cebu-bound flight. Other reports said that a “brawl” had ensued.

Without the benefit of a formal probe into the severity of the details, the two journalists were deported on Sunday. Also, they are blacklisted from the Philippines. The new Foreign Affairs spokesman, Raul Hernandez, was quoted as saying that strong action was needed to properly deal with “rude, violent and ill-mannered” visitors.

Come on.
Are tourist visas application forms now going to ask about an applicant’s manners and social graces? It seems reasonable to screen for criminals entering the country as tourists, but is there a law against rudeness?

Interestingly, Cruz and his wife showed restraint, albeit after the husband supposedly elbowed at least one of them. In fairness to the couple, they neither filed a complaint nor filed formal charges. No one should put up with rude behavior, but deportation and blacklisting are harsh, or worse, seem like attempts by bureaucrats to brownnose. Where is that Filipino hospitality that we are supposed to be famous for? Perhaps we should fault the Department of Tourism for not inviting well-mannered Chinese writers.

It does not take much to guess what the two deported Chinese will tell their readers and friends about the Philippines. Plus, one could wager with confidence what the 10 other Chinese journalists who were with the two “ill-mannered” ones would write about when they return home. This incident might set back tourism promotion among the billion-strong Chinese, some of whom have not forgotten the Hong Kong tourists held hostage by a Filipino policeman nearly a year ago.

Is the Philippines actually ready to open its doors to more tourists?
The Aquino government aims to boost tourist arrivals to 6 million a year by 2016. And if we are serious about that, we should be ready to welcome people whose customs and mannerisms are different or ever alien to most Filipinos