Ignoring a travel warning to the Philippines issued by their own government, some 300 Japanese business executives and tourists visited the country yesterday and called on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the presidential palace in Manila.

The visiting Japanese included Torao Tokuda, chairman and chief executive officer of the Tokushukai Medical Corp (TMC), Japan's largest private medical group.

Others like Dr. Ekan Dceguchi, a Buddhist bishop, and his wife travelled here with 206 Japanese nationals to go to Mabalacat, Pampanga, for a prayer service. Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon said the visits are clear indications-cations of the prevailing law and order situation in the country.

Gordon, together with the Federation of Tourism Industries of the Philippines (FTIP) and Japanese travel executives under the Japan Philip-pine Tourism Council (JPTC), are continuing to appeal to the Japanese government to lift a travel advisory to its nationals not to visit the Philippines due to the country's perceived poor peace and order situation and the possibility of extremist attacks from militants.

On the same day that Arroyo received the Japanese visitors at the presidential palace, the president travelled to one of the country's best known travel destinations, the Boracay resort island in central Philippines.

During a press briefing she held there afternoon yesterday, Arroyo today called on Filipinos to rediscover the Philippines by visiting the country's tourist spots like Boracay Island.

She also said tourism should not just sell "amusement" but also share the local history with the tourists. "In reality, the history of the Philippines started in these small towns and places that, if these stories are not written, will remain a dot on the map," she said.

The Philippine government is trying to revive its once flourishing tourism industry after it suffered setbacks following a series of extremist raids on beach resorts, the latest of which was in May 27 where 18 tourists and three resort workers were abducted by the southern-based Abu Sayyaf in western Palawan island.

Dos Palmas, the resort where the incident happened, was forced to close down after suffering poor tourist visits in the wake of the abductions.

Three among the Dos Palmas victims were Americans, one of whom, Guillermo Sobero was confirmed executed by the Abu Sayyaf in June while missionary couple Gracia and Martin Burnham remain in the custody of the group in the jungles of southern Basilan island together with eight other Filipino victims.