MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has been criticized for several diplomatic blunders related to the hostage crisis on Monday.

These include allegedly failing to coordinate the top-level delegation it planned to send to Hong Kong to mend ties with China.

China and Hong Kong said they will receive the delegation only after the full report on the hostage-taking is completed.

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said on Saturday Malacañang understands the decision.

"There were certain matters that they wanted clarified before the Vice President [Jejomar Binay] went to Beijing and to Hong Kong, and are respecting that decision, and we intend to send a delegation to Beijing and Hong Kong at the soonest possible acceptable time," he told ANC on Saturday.

But Philippine Star columnist Alex Magno says the diplomatic snub would not have happened had Malacañang consulted China and Hong Kong before publicly announcing plans to send the delegation.

In his newspaper column, Magno also wrote Carandang received a call from Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang on the day of the hostage-taking but did not forward it to President Aquino.

Carandang denied the claim.

"That account by Alex Magno is 100% absolutely inaccurate. I did not receive a call from Donald Tsang, and I did not put down the phone on him and tell him to call us back. I was in no way involved in any of the phone calls that occured between President Aquino and Chief Executive Donald Tsang," he said.

Carandang admitted protocols were not followed in communicating with Hong Kong officials.

While the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) would normally notify the Office of the President of any call from a high-level executive, Carandang said this did not happen.

Instead, he said Malacañang got an unverified call from the office of Tsang at 5 p.m. of Monday, asking that the Palace return the call through the DFA.

"The protocols did require that a call from our side go to them as this was happening. Obviously, these protocols were not followed," he said.

Carandang insisted the Philippine government made an effort to relay developments to Hong Kong as soon as it could.

He said Aquino already called Tsang to apologize and to clarify the miscommunication.