Officials may still enter HK with brown passports -DFA

MANILA, Philippines - Government officials may still visit Hong Kong visa-free using their brown passports, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a radio interview on Wednesday that the Hong Kong visa restrictions against the Philippines only covers blue passports issued to government officials for use in diplomatic and official visits to other countries.

Philippine officials who want to enter Hong Kong with their families for holidays or other personal reasons can still do so without visa for 14 days.

The sanctions, which take effect on Wednesday, were imposed by the Chinese city over Manila's refusal to apologize and grant demands of victims over the 2010 Quirino Grandstand hostage tragedy.

Hernandez had said that the country regrets Hong Kong government's new rules to restrict official trips from the Philippines.

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