In this file photo taken on August 23, 2010, Philippine policemen take position as they start their attack on a hijacked tourist bus in Manila. AFP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Tuesday left the country to formally apologize for the deaths of the eight Hong Kong tourists during the 2010 Manila hostage crisis.
Reports said Estrada was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima.
Estrada will bring a check for the surviving victims and the families of those killed during the hostage crisis.
A formal apology has been one of the long demands by the Hong Kong government for the deaths of the eight tourists on August 2010 after they had been taken hostage by disgruntled Filipino policeman Rolando Mendoza.
President Benigno Aquino III, however, has declined to issue an apology,citing Filipino fatalities in China for which China has not apologized and paid compensation.
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