Former ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and her family were barred from entering Hong Kong yesterday.
Authorities at the Chek Lap Kok International Airport detained Morales and her family for four hours.
The incident prompted Malacanang yesterday to ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to assist the Morales family.
“We asked the Department of Foreign Affairs, through our Consulate General in Hong Kong, to render full assistance to the former ombudsman and her family for their safe and secure return to the Philippines.
The same government assistance shall be given to each and every Filipino in distress abroad, and this is regardless of political persuasion or affinity,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
“We will defer to the immigration laws and rules of other countries much as we expect foreign nations to respect our country’s internal rules,” he added. In a text message shared to reporters, Panelo said he called DFA Undersecretary Ernesto Abella and asked him to give assistance to the Moraleses. Panelo added that DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr was in Myanmar, the reason why he asked another official to help.
Morales, who arrived in Manila at 9.30pm, said she was not informed why they were denied entry.
“I was held for about four hours without explaining any reason,” Morales said upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. She said a ranking immigration official apologised to her.
She narrated that immigration officials later said that they would allow her to enter Hong Kong but she told them that she would fly back to Manila.
She was met at the airport by former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario.
In March this year, Morales and del Rosario filed a communication against Chinese President Xi Jinping before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “implementing a systematic plan to control” the contested South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) and violating the rights of Filipino fishers. Del Rosario and Morales said Xi and other Chinese officials committed crimes that were within the jurisdiction of the ICC. The communication said Xi and other Chinese leaders also committed crimes against humanity through “devastating environmental damage across nations.”
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said Morales must have been barred in “retaliation” for her filing of charges against top Chinese officials. “This is clearly in retaliation for her courageous act of bringing China to court,” Pangilinan said. However, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr slammed the senator for coming up with such conclusion.
“How does Francis know that is the reason? Is he the chief executive of Hong Kong? He couldn’t even get the Otso Demento (Otso Diretso) elected and he can now divine what is in the mind of Hong Kong authority?” Locsin said on Twitter.
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