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Carpio Morales vows to pursue case vs Xi Jinping

MANILA—Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said she feels paranoid after learning her telephones have been hacked.

"My telephones are hacked, that's why I'm already paranoid. May phone message akong galing sa isang editor, na-hack siguro 2 weeks ago. But someone told me it was as early as several years ago," she told reporters upon returning to Manila.

Carpio Morales flew to Hong Kong on Tuesday with her children and grandchildren for a family vacation, but was barred from entering the special administrative region of China.

According to Carpio Morales, she expected something similar to happen, but also thought it would be "far-fetched."

"Well, it occurred to me to consider that, in fact before I went to Hong Kong, I was saying that to some people na baka I'm leaving for Hong Kong and baka naman hindi ako papasukin because of that thing and someone said or some people said, hindi naman siguro kasi they don't like to show you that they are actually tailing you, pero nangyari na," Carpio Morales said.

"I expected pero parang it was far-fetched, you know it could be a possibility, but it was far-fetched kasi Hong Kong nga yan eh, pero it turns out Hong Kong is regional administrative whatever of China," she added.

According to Carpio Morales, what she experienced in Hong Kong is a form of bullying.

"How do you call it if it's not bullying? I think someone came up with a theory that shocked and awe daw. Hindi naman ako nasha-shock, 'di naman ako nao-awe. Nabu-buwisit lang," she said.

In a separate statement, Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Carpio Morales' experience showed why the Philippines should push back against China's bullying and harassment.

"One of the reasons we had filed our case in the ICC is to be able to push back against the bullying and harassment that we have been encountering from our Goliath of a neighbor," he said.

"Today, with the holding of Former Ombudswoman Conchita Carpio-Morales by immigration authorities in Hong Kong as a security risk presumably due to the ICC case that we had filed, we are experiencing more of the same," Del Rosario added.

Del Rosario also thanked the Department of Foreign Affairs for their efforts in helping Carpio Morales.

ICC case

Following her experience, Carpio Morales said she is more determined to push for the investigation of the case they filed against Xi.

"No! In fact as I said a while ago, that keeps us more resolved to pursue the case that brings the level of the case to crescendo. We will fight for the examination by the Office of the Prosecution of the communication that the ambassador and I filed," she said.

"I'll be the same. I'll be vocal, in the same manner that I have been vocal before," Carpio Morales added.

Carpio Morales was allowed entry to the territory 3 hours later, but she decided to "just go back to the Philippines," according to Germinia Aguilar-Usudan, deputy consul general of the Philippines in Hong Kong.

Immigration officials did not cite any reason for barring her from entering the special Chinese administrative region, Aguilar-Usudan said.

Carpio Morales and former Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert Del Rosario hauled Chinese President Xi Jinping to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity.

The former Philippine officials sought an investigation into Beijing's "systematic plan to control the South China Sea."