MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration is adamant in its refusal to formally apologize to Hong Kong over the Manila hostage crisis in 2010, saying the the Philippines' expression of regret is enough.
The issue is brought to the fore anew following Hong Kong's termination of Philippine officials' 14-day visa-free access. Ordinary Filipinos, meanwhile, are spared from the diplomatic sanctions which take effect starting Wednesday, but some observers say that the Chinese city can still impose further penalties if demands continue to be ignored by the government.
Read: No more visa-free visits to HK for Philippine officials
But why does the government refuse to apologize for the botched police rescue attempt at Quirino Grandstand?
In an interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, President Benigno Aquino III said a formal apology from him would create a legal liability for Manila.
China, for its part, had neither compensated Filipino families left by victims who have died in past years' incidents in the mainland, he said.
Aquino's statement somewhat confirms a senior Beijing diplomat's views as reported by the South China Morning Post.
"(President Aquino) is afraid that once he makes an apology, the Hong Kong victims' families, who also have a strong legal sense, will take action to sue the government for misconduct and seek compensation. That would be a big burden for a poor country," the senior diplomat, who requested anonymity, said.
"President Aquino has a strong sense of legal awareness because many of his officials are lawyers," he added.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stressed that the Philippines is a "sovereign nation" and is not prepared to consider Hong Kong government's demands upon revival of the negotiations.
"Our Nation has already expressed its deepest regret and condolences over the incident and we are preparing to reiterate this," Foreign Affairs assistant secretary Raul Hernandez said.
DFA also feels the issue has met "substantive closure" three years ago before the administration of current Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying.
"A renewed appeal for compassion was directly made to our government last October 2013. We responded to this appeal without equivocation and in a most generous manner," Hernandez said.
Hong Kong's demands
The expired deadline for the Philippines to meet the demands of the Hong Kong body and the victims led to the imposition of visas.
Leung said that Manila has not expressed any desire to extend the deadline, signifying that it has no plans to grant the following:
- An apology from Aquino or the Philippine government
- Compensation for survivors, their families and the families of the deceased in amounts greater than the Philippine government's compensation for families of killed Filipino soldiers.
- Local officials involved in the failed rescue operation be held accountable
Filipino businessmen, however, have donated huge sums for the Hong Kong families "as a manifestation of the Filipinos' humane consideration of the plight of victims."
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras flew to the Chinese region in November to hand over the amount to Yik Siu Ling, one of the survivors.
Yik needed an urgent survey that would cost P2.28 million--the first payout from the Philippines in connection with the 2010 tragedy.
Hernandez added that further recompense is being extended to the families of the victims.
"To bring the issue to its final conclusion, the Philippines remains committed to manifest compassion for the victims and their families and is ready to turn over the additional tokens of solidarity from the Filipino people," Hernandez said.
"We hope that we will be able to do this as soon as possible," he added.