Philippines officials said Saturday that U.S. Ambassador Harry Thomas has apologized for a remark last month that 40 percent of male tourists visit the country for sex.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said Thomas sent a mobile phone text message Friday to Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario saying he should not have used the 40 percent statistic without the ability to back it up.

The U.S. embassy in Manila confirmed Saturday that Thomas had expressed his regret at the remark.

Thomas made the statement during a discussion on human trafficking and sex tourism.