Pinoys in HK to forego Sunday celebs to mourn hostage victims

Many Filipinos in Hong Kong have foregone their planned weekend celebrations to mourn the deaths caused by last Monday's hostage crisis in Manila. Philippine consul general to Hong Kong Claro Cristobal disclosed this on Friday as he appealed to Filipinos there to keep calm amid lingering tension over the incident. Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed along with hostage taker, dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, in an 11-hour hostage drama in Manila on August 23. Mendoza was dismissed from police service due to charges of extortion and illegal arrest. He was likewise facing charges of misconduct at the Office of the Ombudsman. In an interview on dzBB radio, Cristobal said, "May mga events na lined up sa Linggo, hindi itutuloy o pinalitan completely (There were some big events lined up for Sunday that were canceled or changed)," He said one Filipino organization in Hong Kong called off a big dance ball scheduled this weekend. Another group turned its planned Sunday celebration into a memorial service for the victims, he added. Cristobal earlier said the Hong Kong government and Filipinos based there had been taking steps to heal the wounds caused by the incident. Cristobal advised Filipinos in Hong Kong to remain calm amid lingering tension there. He said some groups, including political parties, are planning to hold a rally on Sunday to protest the Manila carnage. "Ang ating panawagan, ipakita at lalo ipadama ang ating pakikiramay. Habang dumadaan ang rallyist tumindig sila at walang pinakamainam na paraan ng pag-aalay ng pakikiramay kundi magdasal sila at habang dumadaan ang rallyist (Our call is for Filipinos there to remain calm and offer prayers for the victims)," he said. "Hindi makukuha sa pagtapat ng init ng ulo ang matinding nadadama ng tao rito (You cannot fight tension with hotheadedness)," he added. Cristobal cited the case of a Filipino worker who defused tension with an employer by expressing sympathy and sorrow over what happened. He did not identify the worker but said the employer was a relative of one of the fatalities in Monday's incident. "Ako ay narito nang naganap ang napakasakit na trahedya. Nakita ninyo wala akong kinalaman doon (I am here when the incident happened. You can see I had nothing to do with what happened)," he quoted the Filipino worker as saying. –VVP, GMANews.TV