(Eagle News) — “We are very sorry. We apologize.”
The Philippines, through President Rodrigo Duterte, formally apologized for the 2010 Manila hostage crisis that left at least eight Hong Kong tourists dead.
The crisis took place during then-President Benigno Aquino III’s time.
“There has been no official apologies regarding the August 2010 incident. May I address myself to the Chinese people..From the bottom of my heart, in behalf of the people, may I apologize formally to you now. We are sorry the incident happened and as humanly possible, I would like to make the guarantee it would never ever happen again,” he said before around 2000 members of the Filipino community at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong.
“I hope this would go a long way to really assuage the feeling of the Chinese people and government. Nangyari sa panahon natin..So it’s only right. Lives were lost under our jurisdiction. What is really needed is just to say we are very sorry, we apologize,” he added.
Around 22 tourists from Hong Kong and three Filipino nationals were on board the Hong Thai travel bus when Rolando Mendoza, who had been dismissed from the police service for extortion in 2008, hijacked the vehicle.
The bus was en route to Rizal Park at that time.
During the incident, police officers assaulted the bus with sledgehammers.
The drama, which lasted for hours, was broadcast live.
Mendoza was shot by responding policemen.