The recent slew of protests held in Hong Kong objecting the proposal of a new extradition bill saw a record amount of participants. Amongst those nearly 2 million protestors were quite a few Filipinos as well, drawing from the large Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) community in Hong Kong. This comes from Antonio Morales, Consul General of the Philippines in Hong Kong, who also warned against future participation.
Who said people don't want democracy? Autocrats, beware. #HongKong https://t.co/9S5pe3ZAOm pic.twitter.com/aF7uHaQltF
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) June 17, 2019
Morales counseled against involvement in the protests, as it could put their visa’s in danger. He explained to DZMM:Â
Pinapaalalahanan natin na kung sila ay sumali, maaaring magkaron sila ng problema sa immigration dahil baka ito ay i-consider na pangengealam sa kanilang pulitika.Â
[We would like to remind everyone that if they are to join the protests, there is a possibility for problems to arise with immigration since this can be considered meddling in their politics.]
(LOOK: 2 million people went out to protest and left the road spotless after)
Aside from that, Morales also worried about the safety of these individuals:Â
Maaari silang masaktan kung nagkagulo at maaari rin silang mawalan ng visa kung sila ay kasuhan ng immigration dito.
[They could get hurt at the protests if there is trouble, aside from their visa possibly getting revoked should immigration make a case against them.]
(LOOK: Students Multitask By Spending Time At Protests Studying)
Despite the legislative’s suspension of the concerned bill, tempers and sentiments have failed to cool down. Opinion against the government remains high and citizens continue to organize protests.Â
What do you think about this?Â
