President Benigno S. Aquino III
during the 16th ASEAN Plus Three Summit
President Aquino expressed hope that Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung
Chun-ying would tell his people about the Philippines' desire to move forward
after the 2010 Manila hostage crisis.
Aquino met with Leung at the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation summit in Bali, Indonesia on Monday before proceeding here for the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and related
meetings.
The President said he explained to Leung the reasons behind the
Philippines' refusal to issue a public apology on behalf of a deranged
individual who killed eight Hong Kong tourists he took hostage three years
ago.
He said the act of a "mentally unstable" individual alone should not
make the whole of the Filipinos and the Philippines
liable.
The Philippine government had expressed regret and extended its
sincere condolences several times and had given necessary assistance, including
compensation, to the families of the victims of the hostage
crisis.
The government also took measures like increasing the number of
tourist police units in the city to prevent the same unfortunate incident from
happening again.
Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office
Secretary Ricky Carandang said high-level talks would continue because "we want
to put the issue behind us."
Carandang said they were optimistic that both sides would clarify
things and take steps to move forward.
The President also said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
is ready to assist overseas Filipino workers who might face another threat of a
ban on the hiring of Filipino workers in Hong Kong.
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