Jinggoy, Kris feel backlash of Hong Kong outrage

Even well-known personalities, including the sister of President Benigno Aquino III and the son of former president Joseph Estrada, had a taste of the growing backlash of outrage in the wake of Monday’s bloody hostage-taking in Manila, which left eight Hong Kong tourists and the Filipino hostage-taker dead. Senator Jose “Jinggoy" Estrada said his passport was thrown at him by an immigration officer upon his arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport on Friday. According to Estrada, the immigration officer was apparently incensed when he saw on the passport that the arriving visitor was a Filipino. Estrada however said that he chose to shrug off the incident since he understood the grief Hong Kong residents felt after the bloody incident four days ago.
On August 23, dismissed police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. After an 11-hour hostage drama, nine people died— the hostage-taker and eight Hong Kong tourists. (See: Hostage crisis ends in bloody carnage; 8 hostages dead) A Hong Kong-based human rights group earlier voiced concerns over reports that some Filipinos in the special Chinese region are already encountering signs of hostility after last Monday’s hostage tragedy. (See: Filipinos in HK feeling brunt of hostage crisis) Kris, too Presidential sister Kris Aquino-Yap said that she too experienced being shouted down by relatives of the survivors when she visited them last Tuesday. “Her name was Lee. Siya talaga ‘yung 25 to 30 minutes, dire-diretso niya akong (kinakausap). Minsan pasigaw. Pero okay lang," Kris said in an interview aired over GMA News' “24 Oras." (Her name was Lee. It was she who, for 25 to 30 minutes, talked to me non-stop. Sometimes she was shouting. But it’s okay.) Relating the incident later to her brother, President Aquino, Kris described how she felt humbled. “Noy, alam mo, nanliit na talaga ako doon ng husto. It takes a lot of courage na humarap ka sa mga biktima," she said. (Noy, you know, I really felt so small at that point. It takes a lot of courage for you to face the victims.) Like Senator Estrada, the President’s sister said too that she chose to just remain silent during the incident since she understood how the victim’s relative felt.
The Philippine government earlier appealed to the people of Hong Kong not to blame Filipinos residing in the territory for the deaths, since they are also “in grief" over the incident. (See: Palace appeal: Don't take it out on Pinoys in HK) An editorial in the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong daily, also reminded its readers that Filipinos in the Chinese territory are the “wrong targets" of resentment over Monday’s incident. (See: Hatred toward Filipinos ‘smacks of racism’ — HK daily) The three other sisters of President Aquino — Maria Elena “Ballsy" Cruz, Aurora Corazon “Pinky" Abellada and Victoria Eliza “Viel" Dee — meanwhile offered prayers and offered flowers on Friday at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, where the ill-fated tourist bus was held hostage.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV