MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Hush!  Philippine Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. urged Filipinos and the media to STFU (shut up) because it is hurting the country’s tourism industry.

Jimenez was referring to the laglag bala  or tanim bala scheme at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in which airport personnel allegedly “plant” bullets in bags of unsuspecting airline passengers in order to extort money.

Speaking at a weekly forum at the Luneta Hotel, Jimenez said reports on the tanim bala demonstrate the media’s tendency to discuss issues “to death until it actually injures our own interest.”

“I am very concerned on both ends of it — not only because it is a symptom of corruption that we have yet to uproot, it is also a symptom that sometimes as a country we don’t know when to stop talking about something,” he said.

Jimenez went as far as recommending to President Aquino to change the administration’s anti-corruption mantra from Daang Matuwid (straight path) to Daang Matahimik (quiet path).