Philippine delegation due in Hong Kong to defuse Manila bus tragedy tension
Philippine delegation will arrive in Hong Kong today to offer compensation to victims of 2010 hostage tragedy when eight Hongkongers died
The Philippines' chief presidential aide, along with Manila's mayor and the nation's top policeman are flying to Hong Kong today in an attempt to defuse the stand-off over the 2010 bus hostage tragedy - and will bring a cheque for the victims.
"This is a Malacanang [Palace] trip," Diego Cagahastian, public information chief of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, said when asked why the secretary to President Benigno Aquino's cabinet, Jose Rene Almendras, and Philippine National Police director general Alan Purisima were accompanying Manila mayor Joseph Estrada.
[Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada] told me he will bring a cheque for the victims
Cagahastian said Estrada, 77, would bring a cheque for the surviving victims and the families of those killed but he did not know who had funded it or how much it totalled. "The only thing he told me was, he will bring a cheque for the victims. That's all," he said.
Asked why the three were going together, Estrada said: "It's a joint effort of the national and local government."
The presidential palace did not reply yesterday to questions on today's trip. But in a statement released a week ago, Manila confirmed Almendras' role, saying he "continues to have discussions with Hong Kong government officials on reaching a mutually satisfactory conclusion".
A source with knowledge about the trip surmised that the police chief was coming to give an official update on measures taken to make the country safer for tourists and outline sanctions imposed on police who botched the rescue of Hong Kong tourists on August 23, 2010.
Eight Hongkongers died in the tragedy, which was sparked by a disgruntled former police officer who hijacked the bus with 25 people onboard.