Manila: The Philippine government has advised Filipina house maids to stay away from a Hong Kong park where they usually gather on Sundays, to avoid any confrontation with locals despondent over the killing of tourists in Manila.
In an interview played by the government-run Radyo ng Bayan (People's Radio) on Saturday, Philippine Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma urged Filipina house maids in Hong Kong to stay calm in the face of the expected protest rally on Sunday at a popular park in Hong Kong.
Reports said a march was being planned in Hong Kong on Sunday to protest last Monday's carnage in Manila's central Luneta Park that left five Hong Kong Chinese, three Chinese-Canadians and the Filipino hostage-taker - a dismissed policeman - dead.
Coloma urged Filipina domestic helpers to avoid gathering in Times Square in Hong Kong.
At this point it was best for Filipinos to let the issue subside, Coloma said.
"Let us just allow the Hong Kong nationals to vent their ire over the tragic hostage-taking of August 23," he said in the radio interview.
"Let us be calm and careful with what we say, and use the normal precautions," Coloma advised.
Coloma said Filipina domestic helpers had always been a major help to Hong Kong families.
"Back home, we are assuring them that the fact finding team conducting the investigations will make sure to come up with a comprehensive and factual result," Coloma said.
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated its condemnation of the hostage-taking incident in which innocent lives were lost.
"As the Philippine Government completes a full, thorough and transparent investigation on the August 23 hostage-taking incident, the DFA reiterates its condemnation of the violence perpetrated by Chief Inspector Rolando Mendoza," it said.
Reports said that Mendoza, despondent over a recent case in which he had been implicated by virtue of "command responsibility," had hijacked a bus filled with ethnic Chinese tourists and several Filipinos who were on a sight-seeing tour of Manila.
Mendoza had demanded that his police superiors dismissed the case against him, filed by a hotel chef. The chef had accused Mendoza's men of extorting money from him and forcing him to eat a packet of methamphetamine powder.
But somehow, as the hostage negotiations progressed, Mendoza shot his Chinese captives until he himself was shot to death by his former comrades from the Manila Police Department.
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said: "Nothing could ever justify the senseless act of holding hostage and threatening and carrying out physical violence on innocent civilians including children. The DFA shares the outrage and indignation of the Filipino nation and all peace-loving peoples over this criminal act".
"The Philippine Government continues to co-operate with the governments of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the People's Republic of China to bring justice to the victims and their families.
"We believe that the strong and long-standing ties of friendship and cooperation between the governments and peoples of the Philippines and China and Hong Kong shall overcome this sad episode," the department said.
