Malacañang on Saturday urged both Filipinos and Hong Kong nationals to move on as it assured the Hong Kong and Chinese governments that Philippine authorities will do their best to ensure that the fact-finding process of the Manila bus hostage crisis last Monday will be “comprehensive, thorough, and accurate.”

As this developed, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz assured that there is no indiscriminate firing of Filipino workers in Hong Kong following the hostage crisis.

A Filipino journalist working in the Chinese territory said reports that Filipinos are fired in the aftermath of the hostage crisis are grossly exaggerated.

“Gagawin naman natin ang lahat para tiyakin na maging comprehensive, thorough, accurate yung mga findings,” Presidential Communications Operations (PCO) Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma said on Saturday over government-run DZRB, adding that it is already being taken care of by the proper authorities, headed by Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Leila de Lima and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). [“We will do everything to ensure that the findings will be comprehensive, thorough, and accurate.”]

The Philippine government has promised Chinese and Hong Kong officials that it will send a high-level delegation, led by Vice President Jejomar Binay, that would present the final report of the incident.

The top-level delegation was supposed to leave for Beijing, China last Thursday morning (August 26), but the trip was postponed as authorities are still waiting for the final report, which will be presented to the Chinese and Hong Kong officials.

Coloma expressed optimism that the anger of Hong Kong nationals to the Philippine government and to some extent, to the Filipinos, will soon subside.

“Sana sa mga darating na araw at panahon ay lumamig ang ulo ng mga nagagalit,” Coloma said. (“Hopefully, in the coming days, those who have been angered by the incident will calm down.”) “Mag-move on nalang tayo pare-pareho [Let us all move on together].”

“Sana maliwanagan din ang kanilang kaisipan na hindi naman talaga ito ang pagtrato natin sa pangkalahatan. Ito ay sanhi ng actions ng iisa, he said. [“I hope they will be enlightened because this is not how Filipinos generally treat (tourists). This is an action of only one person out of almost a hundred million Filipinos.”]

Earlier reports had revealed that President Aquino had already apologized to Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang for the incident which took the lives of eight Hong Kong nationals during the Manila bus hostage crisis in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila last Monday.

Tsang said he has accepted the apology, saying that Hong Kong police had been sent to Manila to coordinate in the ongoing investigation. He said he is optimistic that a “comprehensive, thorough, and accurate report” will be presented.

Coloma, meanwhile, said the fact-finding process should be completed first before taking into consideration any reorganization in the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Sen. Miriam Santiago had earlier urged that the National Police Commission (Napolcom) should be under the Office of the President (OP) instead of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in a bid to help improve the country’s police force.

“Tapusin na muna yung fact-finding sa naganap noong nakaraang Lunes,” Coloma said, adding that probers will look at the bigger picture once the investigation has been completed, including the current structure of the police force. [“We should finish the fact- finding process of Monday’s incident.”]

Despite Baldoz’s assurance, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong are starting to feel the repercussion of the hostage bloodbath.

In a report reaching the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), a Filipino household service worker in Hong Kong lost her job due to the hostage drama.

“Although she was terminated, she got all the benefits due her. She told the consulate before she got deported that she has no problem with her termination nor with her employer,” said Baldoz.