Department of Foreign Affairs(DFA)

PCG-HK has been documented to discourage people to not report crimes and/or directly instruct people to not go to the local police. As a result numerous illegal syndicates preying on Filipinos have been allowed to thrive. PCG-HK has consistently applied the Philippines Passport Act in a way that ONLY harms victims because PCG-HK has refused to use its authority to take action against the criminals, suggesting that PCG-HK has a policy discouraging law enforcement or is accepting bribes. Thus, I want to know the policy of PCG-HK when handling criminal complaints of Filipino nationals.

October 30, 2020

Dear Grace A.,

Thank you for your request dated Oct 07, 2020 09:44:14 AM under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch, for PCG-HK's Policy/Records Discouraging People From Reporting Crimes.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

FOI Receiving Officer
FOI Officer

Dear Ms. Graciadas,

Thank you for your requests logged via the FOI ePortal on 07 October 2020 on information for the following items: 

policy of HK-PCG in handling criminal complaints of Filipino nationals; 
policy on the protection of victims of illegal lending syndicate from the retaliation of illegal lenders; and policy or document of HK-PCG advising OFWs that they should not report suspected violations of Hong Kong SAR Law to the Hong Kong Police Force;

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is constrained by law from issuing copies of the aforesaid documents to the public. The Freedom of Information (FOI) provides that “exceptions to the right of access to information” include the following:

Item 3. iv. – “Information concerning law enforcement and protection of public and personal safety: unjustifiably disclose investigative techniques and procedures”; and 

Item 4: “Information deemed confidential for the protection of the privacy of persons and certain individuals such as minors, victims of crimes, or the accused.”

If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response by writing to [email protected]. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made within 15 calendar days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review and tell you the result within 30 calendar days from the date when we receive your review request.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Office of the President under Administrative Order No. 22 (s. 2011).

Thank you.