MANILA’S Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should summon the US’ top envoy in the country after Washington’s Department of State issued a travel advisory warning Americans of increased security risks in the Southeast Asian nation, a congressman said on Sunday.
The DFA should summon US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carson to demand an explanation over a May 8 travel advisory by the US State department, which cautioned Americans from visiting the Philippines due to “crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping,” said Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez.
The US Embassy in Manila explained their travel advisories are based on “a careful analysis of local conditions.”
“We regularly evaluate our travel advisories to ensure that they provide the most accurate information to American citizen travelers. Our travel advisory for the Philippines has not changed substantially since May 2024,” US Embassy in Manila spokesman Kanishka Gangopadhyay said in a Viber message.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should also ask Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel D. Romualdez and the Tourism department on what measures they have taken to address the concerns raised by Washington’s travel advisory, he added.
“This is an unfair, shotgun warning,” Mr. Rodriguez said in a statement. “There are certainly many places in our country that are safe to tourists.”
“The United States should review this advisory,” he added.
The May 8 advisory published on the US State department’s website said that armed groups have carried out kidnappings and attacks on public areas like tourist sites, markets and government facilities in the country.
“Violent crimes are also common in the Philippines such as robbery, kidnappings, and physical assaults,” it said. “Protests happen in the Philippines and could turn violent and/or result in traffic jams and road closures with limited capacity of the local government to respond.”
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in late March said that the nationwide crime rate declined by 18.4% in the first quarter of 2025 from the last quarter of last year.
The number of crimes recorded by the PNP dropped to 7,301 cases from 8,950 in the last three months of 2024.
Mr. Rodriguez said the US State department’s travel warning on the Philippines paints it in a bad light, unfairly portraying the country.
“It discourages not only Americans but other foreign tourists as well from visiting the Philippines. It will surely hurt our tourism sector,” he said.
The Southeast Asian nation has generated a record P760 billion in revenues from the tourism industry last year, according to the Tourism department
Around 5.95 million international visitors entered the country in 2024, up 9.15% from 2023 but well below the 7.7-million target set by the Department of Tourism. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
