Bus siege victim recovers from Manila-backed P2.28-M surgery

MANILA, Philippines - A survivor of the Manila bus hostage crisis has recovered from a risky jaw operation in Taiwan after the Philippines gave its first payout to a victim of the botched 2010 affair.

Yik Siu-ling, 34, said in a South China Morning Post report that the surgery was "rather difficult, but everything was under control."

"The outcome of the operation is satisfying," said Yik, who was on a wheelchair when she faced Taiwanese media on Thursday.

She said that she could already drink water just two days after the operation.

Last November, the Philippine government through Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said it sponsored an undisclosed amount as "additional token of solidarity" for Yik's urgent medical procedure.

Read: Philippines gives first compensation to Hong Kong bus hostage victim

The amount was donated by Filipino businessmen "as a manifestation of the Filipinos' humane consideration of the plight of victims and their families," the government and the Hong Kong foreign affairs ministry said in a joint statement.

Yik said in The Post's report that the surgery in Linkou, Taiwan's Chang Gung Hospital cost HK$400,000 or about P2.28 million and involved micro-surgical reconstruction and tooth implants.

The hostage scene in Manila's Rizal Park leading to the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists embittered the relations of the two countries, with China's special administrative district demanding from Manila a national apology and full-scale compensation to the victims' families.

The Aquino administration, however, insisted that the two camps have been dealing closely to solve the diplomatic row.

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