Hong Kong warns RP consulate: Brace for more rallies

MANILA, Philippines - Hong Kong police have informed the Philippine consulate that more protests are expected at the diplomatic post owing to the death of their residents in a hostage-taking incident in Manila on Monday.

Consul General Claro Cristobal of the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong said yesterday that the protesters included legislators.

“The police told us to expect more today and in the coming days,” Cristobal said.

He said a Filipina domestic helper reported to the consulate that her employer gave her a notice of termination of her work contract on Monday after the hostage-taking in Manila.

“We only had one call saying that her contract was rescinded by giving her a notice of termination within one month,” he said.

The Filipina has five more months under her original contract but has only a month to work for her employer after receiving a notice of termination under Hong Kong laws that will take effect on Sept. 23.

According to Cristobal, the consulate has received emails condemning the incident.

“Many expressed anger. They are asking for justice. The Hong Kong nationals want the government of the Philippines to give restitution to the victims,” he said.

Cristobal said he talked to the protesters including a group of Hong Kong legislators who wanted a proper handling of the outcome.

“They also wanted the government to ensure the safety of all tourists visiting the country,” he said.

Cristobal said the consulate has not received reports about whether overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong were adversely affected by the incident, but there were some who have reported that the treatment of their employers toward them changed after the death of the Hong Kong tourists.

Business was halted in the financial hub of Hong Kong yesterday in a three-minute tribute to the fallen residents of the Luneta carnage.

Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang and hundreds of citizens bowed their heads as both the Chinese and Hong Kong flags were raised and then lowered to half-mast in a downtown square in the former British colony now ruled by China.

Residents elsewhere in the city also paused to pay their respects.

The carnage that ended Monday’s daylong standoff between the hostage taker and police – broadcast live on TV – stunned residents in Hong Kong, a safe, affluent city that rarely sees violent crimes.

Locals have expressed outrage at the government’s handling of the situation, with Internet users heaping verbal abuse on President Aquino.

House passes resolution expressing sympathy

Meanwhile, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. led yesterday the House of Representatives in expressing the condolences of the chamber to the families of the victims of the Manila hostage tragedy.

Belmonte told reporters he already signed the House resolution expressing the lawmakers’ sympathies and condolences that would be sent to the families as well as to appropriate officials in the Hong Kong government.

He said he has sent letters of condolences to the families of the victims.

The House on Wednesday night passed Resolution 297 “expressing the sincerest sympathy and condolence of the House of Representatives to the families of the victims of the hostage-taking tragedy.”

“There is a need to assuage the emotional pain and trauma suffered by the survivors and the families of those killed in the unwarranted tragedy,” the resolution said.

“The Filipino people sincerely sympathize and condole with the families of the victims of the tragedy, most of whom are Hong Kong nationals,” it said.

GMA sends condolences to Chinese people

Not to be outdone, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also sent her condolences to the people of Hong Kong and the families of the victims.

“I wish to convey my profound condolences to you and to the people of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), especially to the families of your compatriots who met their tragic death during the hostage-taking incident in Manila,” she said in a letter to Tsang.

“It was a senseless and reprehensible act of brutality that deserves nothing but strong condemnation. I look forward to the outcome of the government’s investigation into this unfortunate incident,” she said.

“Whoever may be held accountable for the violent turn in the negotiations should be penalized accordingly. This is the only way by which we could truly honor the memory of the victims and give justice to the families in their hour of bereavement.

“It is my earnest hope that despite this deplorable incident, the goodwill that exists between the people of Hong Kong and the Filipino people will remain undiminished,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo used her official letterhead on which her name is printed in big bold letters. Below her name were the words, “President, Republic of the Philippines (2001-2010)” and “Representative, 2nd District of Pampanga.”

She also wrote a separate letter to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to express her sympathy to the Chinese people for the death of their compatriots.

“I shall follow closely the government’s conduct of investigation into this tragic incident that would determine possible culpability on the part of the authorities.

“Though nothing could ever wipe away the grief of the bereaved families, justice must prevail to honor the memory of their loved ones,” she said. 

The former president’s last trip to Hong Kong was late last month when she accompanied her husband for a medical check-up. - Jess Diaz, Paolo Romero, AP