Philippines barred entry for two US senators

The Philippines has refused entry to two members of the US Senate and plans to tighten restrictions on the entry of US citizens in the event Washington imposes sanctions. This was stated the the press secretary of the Philippine President Salvador Ponelo.

It is noted that already adopted bans were imposed on the entry of Senators Richard Durbin (Democrat from Illinois) and Patrick Leahy (Democrat from Vermont). According to the head of the presidential press service, measures against all American citizens will be taken if the United States imposes restrictions on any Filipino official for arresting the opposition administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, deputy Leila de Lima. "We will not sit back if they [the US] continue to interfere in our affairs as a sovereign state," Ponelo added.

It is noted that this step is a response to the adoption by the US Congress of the provisions for the budget for 2020, providing for the imposition of sanctions against Filipinos involved in the arrest and imprisonment of de Lima. Philippine Senator Leila de Lima is in prison for violating drug law. She was one of the most active critics of current President Rodrigo Duterte’s tough policies regarding the war on drugs.

Under the current agreement between Washington and Manila, American citizens can stay in the island state without a visa for 30 days. According to the Philippine government, in the first nine months of 2019, more than 792 thousand Americans visited the country, which amounted to about 13% of the total number of foreign visitors.

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