Justice Secretary Leila de Lima might meet with the families of the Hong Kong victims of the August 23, 2010, hostage-taking at the Luneta to apprise them of what the government has since done to improve tourist safety in the Philippines, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda made the statement in a news briefing, when asked if President Aquino would definitely not meet with the group from Hong Kong, which has sought an audience with him.

“We have not spoken with the President but my understanding is that there’s a plan for the secretary of justice to meet with the families of those who are visiting. I’m not sure if it has been worked out or confirmed but that is my understanding,” Lacierda said.

He reiterated the Philippine government had expressed its apologies over the death of the nine tourists—eight of them Hong Kong residents—not only symbolically but through concrete action.

De Lima on Thursday said she was inclined to grant the request of some of the Hong Kong residents who survived the tragedy to meet with her even as the Palace warned that some politicians might be using the issue to gain leverage in the upcoming elections in Hong Kong.

De Lima told reporters the survivors and the families of the victims are expected to arrive in the country and meet with her between August 22 and August 24 to air certain concerns, such as the status of the cases filed in connection with the botched rescue operation by local authorities that resulted in the death of nine of the hostages and the hostage-taker himself, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza.

But De Lima said she would have to get a clearance from the Palace first.

“The communications that I got from them is they would want to seek an audience to further discuss their concerns. Of course, they would want to know the progress or the status of various pending cases from the IIRC [Incident Investigation and Review Committee] report,” she said.

The IIRC, headed by de Lima, looked into the circumstances that led to the mishandling of the rescue operation, and recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against several persons involved in the crisis.

The IIRC had recommended proceedings for possible criminal liability among those involved. Among those recommended to be charged were Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay, the former Manila Police District (MPD) director; Director General Jesus Verzosa, then-National Police chief; Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim; Vice Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso; police negotiator Supt. Orlando Yebra; MPD-Special Weapons and Tactics Unit chief Insp. Santiago Pascual; Director Leocadio Santiago, then-Metro Manila police commander; and Interior Undersecretary Ricardo Puno.

The review panel also recommended the imposition of sanctions against then-Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez; Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzalez; broadcasters Erwin Tulfo and Michael Rogas of RMN-dzXL, as well as its station manager.

But the Palace modified the IIRC’s report and cleared Puno, Verzosa and Moreno of any criminal or administrative liability.

The DOJ chief said she has no information on reports the survivors and the families of the victims were planning to file a case against the government in connection with the case but noted that this was their prerogative.

“Perhaps, this is just a question of listening to them, what exactly are their grievances now, what are their expectations, I would want to hear them out,” she said.

But de Lima also said she would prefer that the survivors and the families of the victims meet with her without being accompanied by politicians.

“If they ask me what I would prefer, I would prefer that… because this is just really a matter of justice, a question of justice, and politics is out of this particular matter,” she said.