Malacañang said it supports the decision of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to question the statement of US Ambassador Harry Thomas that 40 percent of male tourists coming into the Philippines patronize the sex trade.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Palace is concerned about the effect of Thomas’s statement on the Philippines’s international image, especially now that the government has been actively promoting the county as a wholesome tourist destination.

“We’re supporting the query of Secretary de Lima,” Lacierda told reporters, when asked about de Lima’s move to write Thomas to ask for the basis of his claim.

He said that the government does not want the Philippines to be regarded as a haven for sex tourists.

“We find it serious that that claim was made, since we don’t promote the Philippines as haven for sex tourists. In fact, we’re promoting the Philippines as a place where you can find diving, ecotourism; a wholesome family destination,” Lacierda said.

He said that once Thomas responds to de Lima, it will let the Department of Foreign Affairs “decide on the best course of action” to take afterward. Thomas had cited as basis for his statement a report from the Department of Justice, which de Lima had denied.

The US envoy had made the statement at a human-trafficking forum organized by the Philippine Judicial Academy, the Court of Appeals and the US Department of Justice Criminal Division.