Senate President Vicente Sotto III. (File photo by CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — “They should have expected that.”
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said this on Friday after former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario was denied entry in Hong Kong after he was held and questioned at the Hong Kong International Airport.
READ: Ex-DFA chief denied entry to Hong Kong
Sotto noted that Hong Kong is a special administrative region (SAR) of China, whose president, Xi Jinping, has been charged before the International Criminal Court.
The case for crimes against humanity was lodged in March by Del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, who was also questioned and held by Hong Kong authorities when she travelled there in May.
Like Senator Panfilo Lacson, Sotto believes that the two separate incidents may have been linked with the case filed against the Chinese leader.
“Oo obviously. Sobrang obvious di ba,” the Senate leader said in an interview at the Senate.
“Kinakasuhan mo yung presidente natin tapos pupunta kayo dito? Ganun ang mentality nila,” he further said.
But when asked if it was fair to use the case to deny the two former officials of entry in Hong Kong, Sotto said no one could say whether China is wrong or right in invoking its own culture against visiting foreigners.
“Kanya kanyang kultura yan, kanyang kanyang ugali yan e,” he pointed out,
“We can’t just blame them by saying mali yung ginawa nila. We don’t have the right to say that. Kanya- kanyang kultura yan e. Ang kultura nila is ganun e. Dinedemanda mo kami…”
Instead of going to China, Sotto advised those who filed a case against the Chinese leader to just go to Singapore or Japan.
“Ang messaging nun pumunta ka sa Singapore o sa Japan. Huwag kang pimunta sa China,” he said.
“May atraso ka sa China e. Ayaw nila e, yung ginawa mo ayaw nila. Bakit pupunta ka dun?” Sotto said. (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)
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