Palace: No need to issue travel advisory vs Hong Kong

Malacañang said on Tuesday there is no need to issue a travel advisory against Hong Kong, despite rumors of "abuse" after the August 23 Manila hostage crisis. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma said there has been no recommendation yet for a travel advisory against Hong Kong, where many residents have expressed their anger and disappointment over the Manila hostage crisis that claimed the lives of eight Hong Kong tourists. On August 23, Rolando Mendoza, a dismissed senior police inspector hijacked a bus and held hostage 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. After an 11-hour standoff, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. “Walang seryosong pangyayaring nagaganap doon maliban sa expression ng sentimyento saloobin ng taga-Hong Kong (There is no serious development there other than the expression by many Hong Kong residents of their sentiments)," Coloma said in an interview on dzXL radio. Hong Kong, an hour after the hostage crisis ended last Monday, had issued a “black" travel advisory against the Philippines. On Monday, Claro Cristobal, Philippine consul-general in Hong Kong, said if Filipino travelers are still anxious over last week’s massacre in Manila, they may want to postpone for now their vacation in Hong Kong. Cristobal issued the advice as he noted that some Filipinos still feel jittery about going to Hong Kong despite assurances about their safety there. Cristobal said there is no real threat against Filipinos in Hong Kong and that rumors of Filipinos being ganged up on, or killed, in Hong Kong are baseless. “Lahat na ito pawang di katotohanan, di totoo ang balitang yan. Napakalapit ng ugnayan natin sa Hong Kong (All of those reports are not true. We maintain close ties with Hong Kong)," he said in an interview on dzXL radio. He also said the placards held by Hong Kong residents on Sunday’s rally for justice for the slain Hong Kong tourists have shown that Hong Kong people are not mad at Filipinos. On Sunday, around 80,000 people attended activities in Hong Kong demanding justice for the victims, and condemning the hostage incident. “Sa kilos protesta sabi nila di namin minamasama ang mamamayang Pilipino pangkalahatan. Di namin sinisisi kayong Pilipinong nagtatrabaho sa Hong Kong, o basta sinumang inosente walang kinalaman sa trahedya. Ang hinihingi namin hustisya, tapat na imbestigasyon para lumabas ang katotohanan," Cristobal said. (In their protest, they said they are not angry at Filipinos. They are not blaming Filipinos as a whole for the tragedy. But they are seeking justice and a transparent investigation.) Palace defends gag order Meanwhile, Malacañang defended the gag order imposed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation of the case. Coloma said the gag order aims to give the investigation some consistency. It is also meant to avoid confusion caused by piecemeal disclosure of findings. “Yan lang nilalagay sa ayos ang daloy ng communication, iisa na lang para may consistency, di maraming nagbibigay ng ulat na pira-piraso at para maayos ang lahat na information sa progress ng fact-finding investigation (We want some semblance of order to the flow of communication so there will be consistency in the investigation. We cannot release findings piecemeal lest it cause confusion)," he said. Coloma also said there is no deadline for the submission of the results of the investigation, at least for now. –VVP, GMANews.TV