Philippine Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim "deeply regretted" the Manila hostage incident that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.

However, he declined to detail how much compensation the Philippine government would pay to victims and their families, AFP reported.

Lim, on a "goodwill mission" to Hong Kong, met Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang and relayed condolences from Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and the sympathy of the Filipino people to the victims and their families.

Ambrose Lee, secretary for security with the Hong Kong government, said Lim promised that the Philippine government would "vigorously pursue the proceedings" of criminal charges against responsible officials, Xinhua reported.

"We welcome these measures, which will help guard against a recurrence of similar tragedies and restore the confidence of Hong Kong people visiting the Philippines," Lee said. "We will listen to the views of the community and consider adjusting the travel alert as appropriate."

Agencies