Commerce chamber in Philippines urges Aquino to say sorry for 2010 hostage crisis
Chinese association in the Philippines says it will compensate families of those who died in 2010 hostage crisis if the president says sorry
A Chinese chamber of commerce in the Philippines called for President Benigno Aquino to apologise for the Manila hostage tragedy and was willing to compensate victims' families if the country's government said sorry, a Hong Kong lawmaker said.
Financial services legislator Christopher Cheung Wah-fung said the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry wanted to join the city in putting pressure on Aquino over the hostage siege in which eight Hongkongers died.
"The federation said it was both irresponsible and unacceptable for the Philippines not to apologise," Cheung said.
"They are even willing to pay part of the compensation to the victims' families if the government apologises." The federation said no director was available for comment yesterday.
Politicians and survivors have called for sanctions on the Philippines until an official apology is made for the 2010 bloodbath.
Last year, Hong Kong contributed 1.9 per cent of the Philippines' gross domestic product of US$250 billion, according to calculations by the . The city imported US$4.8 billion worth of goods from the Philippines last year, which were mostly electronics, electrical goods and machinery.
That same year, Hong Kong tourists spent an estimated US$106 million while on holiday on the islands, and Filipino overseas workers in the city sent home US$420 million in remittances. Hong Kong companies invested US$30 million in the Philippines last year.
In the immediate aftermath of the crisis, the Hong Kong government warned tourists against visiting the Philippines and the number of arrivals from the city dropped 22 per cent the following month. Philippine exports fell 14.6 per cent the next year.
Tourist numbers to the country have risen since, but still fall short of the 2010 high. Trade exceeded 2010 levels last year, but in the first five months this year, Philippine exports to Hong Kong dropped 23.3 per cent.
But Federation of Hong Kong Industries chairman Stanley Lau Chin-ho said the hostage crisis did not really affect trade between the two places. "We are businessmen after all," he said.
Meanwhile, Liberal Party lawmaker Felix Chung Kwok-pan, who is lobbying for foreign domestic workers to be imported from Myanmar to replace Filipinos, met the Myanmar consul-general on Tuesday. He said Myanmar showed enthusiasm for the idea.
