Duterte apologizes to Hong Kong for Manila hostage crisis

HONG KONG – President Duterte yesterday apologized to the Chinese for the Manila hostage crisis almost eight years after the incident that left eight mostly Hong Kong tourists dead. 

The 11-hour crisis, which happened on Aug. 23, 2010, started after former police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza hijacked a bus with 24 passengers at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.

The hostage incident, the first major crisis that confronted the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III, ended after Mendoza was shot dead by a sniper.

Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed during the crisis, which was blamed on the blunders and lack of training of Filipino police officers.

Aquino’s supposed lack of leadership and the decision of media outlets to broadcast the incident live were also blamed for the hostages’ deaths. 

“There has been no official apologies for what happened during that incident... in August 2010. May I address myself to the Chinese people who are here: I apologize,” Duterte said during his meeting with the Filipino community here. 

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. 

“From the bottom of my heart, as the President of the Philippines and on behalf of the Filipino people, may I formally apologize to you now. I guarantee you that this will never happen again.” 

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada had visited Hong Kong in 2014 and publicly apologized for the incident, which occurred when Alfredo Lim was the mayor.

Lim, a former Manila police chief, was among those investigated by a special body formed by Aquino after the bloody incident.