Philippines’ President Duterte publicly apologizes for 2010 Hong Kong tourists killing

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made a public apology on Thursday for the August 2010 killing of eight Hong Kong tourists during a bus hostage incident in Manila, a gesture which his predecessor had declined to make.
Speaking before a large crowd of Filipino workers in Hong Kong, the firebrand leader addressed his apology to the Chinese government and its people and vowed it would never happen under his watch.
‘May I address myself to the Chinese people all here. From the bottom of my heart, as the President of the Republic of the Philippines and on behalf of the people of the Philippines, may I apologise formally to you now. I am sorry that the incident happened. And as humanly possible, I would like to make this guarantee also that it will never, never happen again,” he said.
A sacked police officer hijacked a bus carrying 15 Hong Kong tourists in August 2010 and ordered the driver to go to the popular Rizal Park in Manila, but nine people, including the gunman died in a botched police rescue operation.
The incident strained Manila’s relations with Hong Kong, from where more than 100,000 tourists came every year before the Chinese special administrative region suspend tour operations to the Philippines.