Hong Kong sympathizes with typhoon victims amid row

MANILA, Philippines - Amid the row between the Philippines and Hong Kong over the Manila hostage killings, the Hong Kong government yesterday expressed its sympathies to the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

“I got a call from the Hong Kong government expressing their sympathies. We’re grateful to the whole world for the support,” Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said.

Last week, Hong Kong lawmakers approved a non-binding resolution calling for the cancellation of visa-free access to Filipinos to protest the Philippine government’s refusal to apologize for the death of eight Hong Kong tourists in 2010.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), meanwhile, downplayed the possibility of mass displacement of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Hong Kong’s move is unlikely to cause permanent and adverse impact on the hiring of OFWs. – With Mayen Jaymalin