PHL can recover from Chinese tourism volume drop, woo other tourists, says PNoy

President Aquino on Thursday appeared unfazed by reports that Chinese tourists are skipping the Philippines as a destination because of the Panatag Shoal stand-off between the Philippines and China, saying that they only account for five percent of the country's total tourist traffic and could eventually be replaced.   “Alam ho niyo, merong hindi natin maiwasan, meron tayo talagang mga sektor sa atin pong lipunan katulad po dito sa tourism. Sabi nila may problema tayong sigalot sa isang bansang kalapit natin ngayon, malapit na ho yatang malutas iyan,” Aquino said.   “Pero sabi nila: ‘Kawawa ang tourism sector natin, 5 percent ng turista natin mawawala.’ Sabi ko: ‘Okay iyon ah, 5 percent ang inintindi niyo, iyung 95 percent kinalimutan niyo.’ Tama ho ba?” he said.   The President, who was addressing the Career Advocacy Congress at the Diamond Hotel in Manila, also expressed optimism that the stand off between the Philippines and China may soon be resolved.   Aquino made the statement in response to critics’ assessments that the tourism industry would suffer because of the absence of the Chinese travelers, citing that the other 95 percent appeared to be ignored.    “Siyempre 'pag sinabi nating sasama ang sitwasyon natin, 5 percent, uulit-ulitin iyan. Wow! parang krisis. Ako ho kasi parang, di ba, baka dapat intindihin natin ang ibang reyalidad; may 95 percent na naiwan sa worst case scenario. Iyung 5 percent pwedeng palitan. Pero ang masakit nga ho nito, meron ho tayong mga sektor, talaga hong ‘guguho na ang mundo natin’ dahil nawala iyung 5 percent,” he added.   The President said that he would rather work quietly and do his job and let the people enjoy the fruits of his work instead of wasting time on his critics.   “Hindi na tayo magsasalita, hindi ba? Tayo po‘y magtratrabaho. Iyung trabaho po natin may bunga, iyung bunga po natin kapakipakinabang sa lahat ng Pilipino,” Aquino added.   Commitment to de-escalation   Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Philippines remains committed to de-escalating the situation at the Panatag Shoal adding that the fishing ban remains.   Valte said the Philippine Coast Guard continues to monitor and patrol the area to ensure that the ban is observed.   “Iyung sa Coast Guard po natin the instruction still stands na to patrol the area and to make sure that ‘yung mga fishermen po natin do not engage in fishing in Bajo de Masinloc and we encourage them still to continue to take advantage of ‘yung mga fishing aggregating devices that have been set up by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources,” she said.   The Department of Foreign Affairs had recently sent a note verbale to China about the continued presence of several Chinese vessels at the Panatag Shoal which the Philippines said is part of its exclusive economic zone. China, however, claims the same against the Philippines.   However, Valte was sparse in her response to the statement of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in which she told the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that Chinese territorial claims in parts of the South China Sea may have exceeded what is allowed by the UNCLOS, or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.   “We have always stood by our own statements. We have always stood by our own actions,” Valte said adding that she would not comment further.   “Siguro hindi po tayo muna magkokomento diyan given that we want to deescalate the situation,” Valte also said.