No more visa-free visits to HK for Phl officials

[Monseratto]

For BS Aquino protecting his KKK...Those affected are the ones holding the RED passports for PHL gov't officials. Many are worried that there'll be a total ban on entry by 2015. Meanwhile in social media comments, there are free-for-all China bashing and "avoid Hong Kong"....

HONG KONG — Hong Kong will end visa-free visits by Philippine officials because their government has not apologized for the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists nearly four years ago, the southern Chinese city's leader said Wednesday.

Leung Chun-ying said holders of official Philippine government passports will no longer be allowed to visit for up to 14 days without visas starting Feb. 5.

He said it was the first phase of sanctions he had threatened last year.

Ordinary Filipino travelers aren't affected.

Relations between Hong Kong and the Philippines have soured over the 2010 incident, in which eight Hong Kong tourists and their guide were killed in a bungled police rescue after being taken hostage on a Manila tour bus by a dismissed police officer.

The Philippines has expressed regret but has not officially apologized.

Leung did not say what further steps he would take. He said the two sides had agreed on three other issues: compensation, holding responsible officials accountable, and putting in place safety measures for tourists.

Hong Kong issued a "black" travel warning for the Philippines following the tragedy, a label the country shares with Egypt, Syria and Bangkok, Thailand.

[Sweetlucious]

Avoid hong kong? Woohh hong kong people are quaking in their boots.

[oj88]

For once: civilians-1, diplomats-0

Why the heck won't BS A apologize? S--t happens and he just have to take responsibility for it.

He's no different from a bad driver who just cut you off and when you blast him with your horn, puts up a middle finger.

For the love of country, own up!

[yebo]

ok, buti naman di affected ang ordinary passports.

[Ry_Tower]

ok, buti naman di affected ang ordinary passports.

As on now, as of now. Sana nga diplomats - 0, civilians -1 na lang ang iskor.

[kisshmet]

ok, buti naman di affected ang ordinary passports.

Those chinks still value pinoy patronage of their territory..pathetic move on their part as most diplomatic passport holder have regular passport as well

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[dr. d]

all for the better, maybe.
so our leaders don't go out-of-town too often.
but then again, as kiss above says, many of them have two passports.. one for official VIP functions, and an ordinary one, for "private trips".

[boybi]

For once: civilians-1, diplomats-0

Why the heck won't BS A apologize? S--t happens and he just have to take responsibility for it.

He's no different from a bad driver who just cut you off and when you blast him with your horn, puts up a middle finger.

For the love of country, own up!

Too late for the president to apologize na. He should have done it right after the incident. If he'll do it now, magmumukhang natakot sya sa ginawa ng HK gov.

[oj88]

Too late for the president to apologize na. He should have done it right after the incident. If he'll do it now, magmumukhang natakot sya sa ginawa ng HK gov.

Yeah, I realize that that ship has sailed. I meant to say that he should've apologized from the get-go.

[dr. d]

Too late for the president to apologize na. He should have done it right after the incident. If he'll do it now, magmumukhang natakot sya sa ginawa ng HK gov.

yeah.. he should have done this at the start, and publicly sacked the erring government officials. it's so obvious who they are. they were the ones washing their hands in front of the media...
but not to worry.. singapore is cleaner..

[shadow]

Hahaha, bad trip nanay ko aabutan pa yata ng visa sa HK. nag text ako kagabi hinde pa alam, sa 10 ang Alis pag sinunod nila civilians ok na rin para hinde na magmukhang megamall lang HK pag long weekend puro Filipino masasalubong



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#retzing

[Monseratto]

Hahaha, bad trip nanay ko aabutan pa yata ng visa sa HK. nag text ako kagabi hinde pa alam, sa 10 ang Alis pag sinunod nila civilians ok na rin para hinde na magmukhang megamall lang HK pag long weekend puro Filipino masasalubong



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#retzing

Red passport siya?

[shadow]

Red passport siya?

Hinde! Baka isunid agad kasi for civilians. Baka abutan pa siya


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#retzing

[innova2006]

Hinde! Baka isunid agad kasi for civilians. Baka abutan pa siya


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#retzing

ok lang yan, don't apologize bakit pag intsik ba nakagawa kasalanan sa pinas nag apologize ba sila? iban na din sana mga pure intsik na papasok sa pinas at puro kagaguhan lang din ginagawa andyang sya may ari ng shabu lab, illegal na business at kung ano ano pang illegal at akala mo sila ang hari dito sa pinas, madami pang mapupuntahan bukod sa china

[macsd]

This is a good one. This is the most popular travel reward destination ng mga barangay officials up to municipal/city councilors , LGUs etc...kung mag reward sila mayor, governor, etc...to bring their selected minions abroad as of they are using their own money. Sama mo na rin pati yung mga high goverment officials.

What i see here is, after the term of Abnoy is over, even though he get's back to being a private citizen, the ban is extended to himself only by the HK goverment. On the other hand, how can he get to travel to HK when he will end up in hospital arrest as well.

[macsd]

ok lang yan, don't apologize bakit pag intsik ba nakagawa kasalanan sa pinas nag apologize ba sila? iban na din sana mga pure intsik na papasok sa pinas at puro kagaguhan lang din ginagawa andyang sya may ari ng shabu lab, illegal na business at kung ano ano pang illegal at akala mo sila ang hari dito sa pinas, madami pang mapupuntahan bukod sa china

I am with you on this. However, the other side of the coin is, they come because our system give's them the opportunity for them to establish such shady business . Why is that, it's because our law is screwed, law enforcers even become their protectors, our goverment is corrupt. Straighten these 3 elements i've mentioned, you'll never see them in this land.

[Monseratto]

Salamat President Mayor...may pakinabang ka pa kaysa yung mga naka paligid ni BS Aquino. Something that should have been done 2-3 years ago...

Hong Kong accepts Erap apology



Hong Kong Chief Executive Chun Ying Leung (right) accepts on behalf of the Hong Kong Administrative Region Government the apology delivered by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Wednesday, April 23, over the 2010 Manila hostage crisis. With it, Hong Kong adjusted the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines from Black to Amber. Standing behind Leung are the relatives and some of the survivors of the tragedy. Ason Cañete

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/a...hostage-crisis

Hong Kong and Philippines resolve bus hostage crisis as families accept “confidential” compensation payout
Chief Executive CY Leung announces sanctions against Philippines are dropped as part of agreement

Hong Kong and the Philippines today resolved their differences over the Manila bus hostage crisis as families of those killed and injured received confidential compensation payouts and sanctions against the country were lifted.

Announcing the news following a high-level summit held in Hong Kong with dignitaries including Manila mayor Joseph Estrada, Chief Executive CY Leung said that all parties had worked “tirelessly” over the last six months to defuse tensions between Hong Kong and the Philippines following the 2010 tragedy in which seven Hong Kong tourists and their guide were shot dead, and seven others injured, by a sacked policeman who laid siege to their tour bus in Manila.

Leung announced an end, with immediate effect, to sanctions imposed in January which halted visa-free visits by Philippine officials.

He added that two resolutions had been passed by the Manila government: one for an apology and another to declare July 14 of the Chinese calendar and August 23 of the Gregorian calendar as days of prayer for the victims’ of the tragedy.

Leung said that, after assurances from the Philippines over the safety of tourists in the country, Hong Kong had lifted the “black” travel alert and reverted to amber.

Leung said he hoped the moves would bring peace to the dead and help the families of the victims “move on”.

Tse Chi-kin, brother of Hong Kong tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chunn, who was killed in the siege, said he accepted the resolution and the compensation.

“I can’t say whether I’m happy with the result or the wordings [of the statement] but I’m glad this has all come to an end,” said Tse.

“Will we insist on getting the right words [for an apology]? We understand that in circles of diplomacy there are lots of discrepancies."

Lawmaker James To Kun-sun said the compensation was “appropriate and acceptable” but they were bound to a confidentiality agreement and could not disclose the amount.

Earlier, a joint statement was released that said the four demands of the victims and families “will be resolved and settled”.

The agreement comes during a visit from Manila mayor Joseph Estrada and government officials designed to defuse tension over the tragedy and follows a meeting last night between Hong Kong officials and family members.

The statement, released this afternoon, said: “…the HKSAR Government and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines have agreed that the four demands made by the victims and their families on apology, compensation, sanctions against responsible officials and individuals, and tourist safety measures will be resolved and settled as follows.”

It added: “The Philippine Government expresses its most sorrowful regret and profound sympathy, and extends its most sincere condolences for the pain and suffering of the victims and their families. The Police Director General of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines has written to all victims or their families.

“In the spirit of solidarity and in acknowledgement of the loss of the victims and their families, an additional token of solidarity will be given to the victims or their families as a most sincere gesture of compassion of the people of the Philippines. “

The statement added that measures would be undertaken to “hold to account those responsible and to see the outstanding proceedings conclude as soon as possible”.

Families of the victims have campaigned for more than three years for an official apology from the Philippines government over the tragedy.

That campaign was dealt a blow in October last year, when Philippine President Benigno Aquino told the South China Morning Post he could not issue an official apology or compensation because “the act of one individual who is probably mentally unstable … should not be construed as an act of the entire country”.

Then, in January, Hong Kong cancelled visa-free arrangements for Philippine official and diplomatic passport holders in its first sanctions against a foreign state in retaliation for the country’s failure to respond all of the city’s demands.

On Tuesday, Beijing urged the Philippine government to “seriously respond to the Hong Kong government and to the legitimate and lawful demands of the relatives of the victims”.

[Monseratto]

If Malacanang was only sincere in solving this mess four years ago, di makabida si Erap. Pero harder than coconut ang ulo ni BS Aquino... Ngayon gusto kumuha ng credit for correcting a mess of their own making.

Manila Standard Today | Latest News in the Philippines

Envying Erap
Jojo Robles Apr. 25, 2014 at 12:01am

“Sorry,” despite what Elton John says, isn’t the hardest word. It can actually work wonders.

Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada apologized this week to the families of victims of the bloody 2010 hostage-taking at Rizal Park and his apology was accepted. But Malacañang, which has stuck to President Noynoy Aquino’s no-apology policy, could not allow Erap to take all the credit, so it had to say that it had been working to settle the issue long before Estrada arrived in Hong Kong.

Cabinet Secretary Jose Almendras, whose presence with Erap in Hong Kong was even initially denied by one Malacañang spokesman (only to be affirmed by another) had to call a press conference yesterday to claim some of the credit. Almendras said he signed a heretofore unknown agreement settling the dispute between Hong Kong and Manila as early as two weeks ago.

Of course, if Estrada had not heaped praise on himself for apologizing, we would probably never heard of Almendras’ exploits. Then again, if only Aquino had apologized four years ago, right after the Hong Kong tourists were killed by a former Manila cop who went postal, then none of this would have even been necessary.

[badkuk]

me basbas ata to ni P-Noy, kasama si Almendras di ba?

Still, it leaves a bad impression to resort to backchannels just to say sorry. It takes more strength to admit one's mistakes than being in denial.

[brainmafia_310]

Sorry sa mga may kamagnam na employee sa govt. From my grandpa to my father govt employee din.

Mas maigi yata na lahat ng bansa iban mga pulpol nating politician. Siguro ung tatamaan diyan na matino wala pang 1 percent.

Sana gawin ito ng buong mundo sa mga lintek at peateng nasa gobyerno para dadaan sa pila sa init ang mga hayup lalo na sa pagapply ng visa at mg maramdaman din nila katiwalian nila at hirap na dinaranas ng lahat ng ordinaryong tao.

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