Sen. Richard Gordon. INQUIRER.net file photo / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — Hong Kong authorities “acted with disrespect and exhibited lack of good judgment” when they barred former Foreign Affairs chief Alberto del Rosario from entering their country.
Senator Richard Gordon issued this remark Friday, pointing out that Chinese officials should have considered that “the Philippines and China are close neighbors” that have a “long history of friendly relations” which should not be compromised even by issues on the West Philippine Sea.
“Hong Kong authorities acted with disrespect and exhibited lack of good judgment. The maintenance of good and friendly relations, bilateral or multilateral, state to state, people to people, is a main objective of every government,” Gordon said in a statement.
READ: Ex-DFA chief denied entry to Hong Kong
“The relevant ranking Chinese officials should take heed that we cannot change geography, that the Philippines and China are close neighbors. And have had a long history of friendly relations that should not be imperiled by mindless action such as in the del Rosario and Carpio-Morales treatment by HK authorities and the West Philippine Sea,” Gordon said.
Last March, Del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales filed a complaint against Chinese President Xi Jinping for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court. They argued that China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea have been depriving Filipino fishermen of their livelihood, and fostering aggression and environmental degradation in the area.
READ: Ex-DFA chief Del Rosario, Morales sue China’s Xi at ICC
Last month, Morales was also denied entry to Hong Kong. She was supposed to have a vacation with her family there but immigration officers stopped and held her at the Hong Kong International Airport, and consequently ordered her return to Manila.
READ: Ex-Ombudsman Morales denied entry to HK for being ‘security threat’
Del Rosario, after six hours of questioning, was barred from entering China’s special administrative region. He is expected to arrive in the Philippines from Hong Kong by Friday afternoon. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)