China will not stop adverse Hong Kong travel advisory to Phl

MANILA, Philippines -  Authorities in mainland China will not stop the decision of officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to maintain the travel advisory on their citizens who plan to visit the Philippines.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao said yesterday that Hong Kong has been exercising a high level of autonomy since 1997.

“With regard to the travel warning alert by the Hong Kong authorities, I’ve to say that since 1997 according to the basic law of Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong has been exercising high level of autonomy so we respect decisions made by Hong Kong authorities and decisions made on the actual security situation,” Liu said in a press conference.

“We respect the decisions made by Hong Kong authorities based on their assessment of security situation so we leave this with them. But we hope the normal exchange of people will resume,” he said.

Liu said the Chinese government is hopeful that the Philippines and Hong Kong would agree on the right time to lift the travel advisory.

The advisory warns Hong Kong citizens of the risk of traveling to the Philippines after eight Hong Kong tourists and a hostage taker were killed after a hostage-taking incident at the Rizal Park in Manila on Aug. 23, 2010.

The suspect, armed with an M16 rifle and a pistol, commandeered a Hong Thai Travel tourist bus in Intramuros and held hostage 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipino guides for several hours.

The gunman had released several hostages before the Manila police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team assaulted the bus, resulting in the death of the hostage taker and eight tourists.

Ambassador Liu said that China and the Philippines have reached a consensus on the settlement of the hostage-taking incident.

Hong Kong officials have expressed disappointment at the review and decision of Malacañang’s legal team to lessen the actions recommended by the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) against personalities that should be held liable in the failed hostage rescue.

Outgoing Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, who was in Hong Kong last December on a mission of goodwill, met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang and discussed the measures undertaken by the Philippine government after the incident.

The Philippines expected a lifting of the black travel alert after Hong Kong gave assurance that it would not maintain the travel advisory on the country longer than necessary.

Survivors and relatives of the Hong Kong tourists demanded yesterday the prosecution of officials involved in the bungled incident.

The group arrived in Manila last Sunday or three days before the first anniversary of the incident.

In a closed-door meeting with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, the victims sought the criminal prosecution of officials and authorities involved in the operations.

They also demanded a formal apology from the government and financial compensation.

The relatives of victims left yesterday morning on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 318 for Hong Kong.

Airport reporters asked the group if they had a departure statement, but they said they had none as they boarded their flight back to Hong Kong.

After President Aquino rejected their demand for a formal apology, Secretary De Lima is apparently not inclined to help them in their bid to convince Aquino to reconsider his earlier decision not to file criminal charges against officials involved in the bungled rescue.

She told reporters yesterday she is no longer pushing for the recommendations of the IIRC to file criminal cases against Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and others when she submits to the President next week her report on her dialogue last Monday with the victims.

“Such recommendations have been passed upon already by the presidential team tasked to review the IIRC report and acted upon by the President. It would be foolhardy on our part to so insist as it would be out of line,” De Lima said.

She clarified that the President would issue the final decision on the demands of the victims.

The reversal of the IIRC decision to file criminal charges against Mayor Lim and the others almost caused the resignation of De Lima in October last year. She had said she was considering resigning from her post due to “difference in opinion with the President” but later on opted to stay on.

Last Tuesday, Aquino had disapproved the demand for a formal apology.

De Lima had suggested to victims to formally submit their requests to the President.

As to the issue of compensation, the justice secretary said she is inclined to recommend to the President a favorable response to the victims.

“Under the Philippine law and justice system, anyone has the right to seek redress by way of damages… I will relay this to the President - that some discussions be made with the end view of granting compensation to the survivors and the families. This is independent of the solidarity fund which was made available already to them and that is purely private initiative,” she said.

Bishops hit P-Noy’s pride

Lipa City Archbishop Ramon Arguelles lamented that pride and being blind to incompetence are the two reasons why the Aquino administration refused to apologize to the survivors and families of the victims of the hostage-taking incident.

In an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas, Arguelles said that there were people grieving over the loss of their loved ones, yet Aquino refused to say sorry.

“People got hurt, they lost loved ones. Why not say sorry? Why not condole?” Arguelles added.

He said government refused to say sorry because they do not want to admit their incompetence.

Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez of Marbel, South Cotabato said the government’s actions brought embarrassment to the country.

“President Aquino should assume responsibility. He is the President, they had a plan and his subordinates bungled it,” said Gutierrez.

Aquino earlier said that while the government regrets the death of eight Hong Kong tourists in the hostage-taking incident, the Chinese should try to be fair because nobody wanted it to happen in the first place. – With Edu Punay, Evelyn Macairan, Rudy Santos, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Sandy Araneta