MANILA, Philippines - Senator Jinggoy Estrada expressed concern over the reported harassment of the Philippine Azkals by some Hong Kong locals during an international friendly last Tuesday.
"They are poor losers. That was only a football game tapos pagbabatuhin nila ang ating mga kababayan," Estrada said.
The Philippine football team and their Filipino fans were allegedly subjected to racial and physical abuse by locals during the match at the Mong Kok Stadium.
After the game, witnesses of the incident went to social media with reports claiming that some Hong Kong supporters threw mineral water bottles at women and children in the stands as well as the Filipino athletes.
Some even reportedly branded the Philippines as a “nation of slaves.â€
“They threw trash at us and the players, shouted obscenities at the Filipino crowd that was mostly women and youngsters, called us slaves,†Ida Torres, who was at the venue, posted on Twitter.
Despite the hostility, the Philippine Azkals managed to score a rare 1-0 win over the hosts. Related story: Azkals endure hostile crowd, edge HK side
Estrada said the Philippine consulate must step in on the issue.
"Dapat protektahan nila ang ating mga kababayan sa Hongkong. Hindi naman pwedeng basta-basta batuhin tayo ng bote ng mineral water. Hindi naman pwede 'yon," Estrada said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs called the alleged harassment as "unfortunate."
“We are concerned about some unfortunate events that happened during the friendly football match between the Philippine Azkals and the Hong Kong team. However, we believe that this is not reflective of the general sentiments of the Hong Kong community,†Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a statement.
“Sports is one of the best avenues in fostering mutual respect and understanding between communities and we hope that future activities will further strengthen the friendship between the people of the Philippines and Hong Kong," he added.