It was a fine Monday, August 23, 2010, when Senior Police Officer Rolando Mendoza took his hostage drama inside the Hong Thai tourist bus in front of the Quirino Grandstand, Manila.
Actually, I find this hostage crisis as tragic and stupid at the same time. It's a lose-lose situation for the two sides who got involved in this scenario and to those who stood up in between. Try to see it this way, Captain Rolando Mendoza, the hostage taker, end up dead and in vain for he didn't get any of his demands about what he claimed as injustice to him after being relieved from his post due to an extortion and robbery complaint filed against him. No offense meant to his family, but it was such a desperate move of him. First and foremost, Captain Mendoza, as a policeman, should be the first person to know the consequences and the results of his own actions not including the fact that his brother is also a policeman who should have had guided him in the right path when he still has the opportunity of communicating to his brother. The hostage taker shouldn't have included and took the lives of those unfortunate tourist regarding his misfortune because they have nothing to do with it. Unless, he's out of clear thinking and he just wants to use those foreigners as his human guinea pig to get noticed by the government or assuming that he can gain back his post through that way. Although, I'm on his side of claiming his benefits because the guy still worked and earned for it. Whose employee wouldn't be dissapointed of not getting his benefits anyway? Yet, Capt. Mendoza should have thought of a more wise and right decision to fix his case.
The poor hostages was the unfortunate player in this drama. They were just having fun in exploring our country and some of them ended up breathless before the day ends leaving the other survivors traumatized and in pain with hospital bills and loss of their loved ones. Some of them thought of joining forces inside the bus against the hostage taker but they weren't brave enough to make a stand and they wrongly overestimated the presence of our national police believing that they can be saved and be freed from the gunman. Well, it's kinda too late for them to make a stand. They should have had done it beforehand. Regret really comes to an end.
The policemen who responded to the tragic event were the ones being thrown with tomatoes afterwards because of the failed mission. Adding the fact that some of them took some picture taking while smiling and posing at the scene of the crime. Personally, I find it awkward and insensitive of them to do that while others are mourning and grieving. It's fine that they took pictures, but it should be while they were in action of investigating the crime scene and not posing or smiling like a model. Of course, what do you expect? It earned a lot of negative feedbacks and violent reactions not only from the Chinese nationals but in some fellow Filipinos as well. I wanted to believe that those policemen who tried to rescue the hostages were good. Only that, they lack of proper training on how to handle such situation, lack of updated equipment and tactics, and lack of strategic and firm command from their officers who are in charge.
For the Hongkong and the Chinese nationals, I, as a Filipino do sincerely apologize and extend my condolences for their loss. But please, let us not generalize all the Filipinos the same as Capt. Mendoza. It's an isolated case! It's not a racial issue. It's not race against race! All of us as individuals has our own and unique way of thinking. It doesn't mean that if one person within that nationality have done one evil thing... it represents his whole race. It's kinda unfair to hear. That's why I thanked Jackie Chan for defending the Filipinos though he 's purely Chinese. I admire his wide range of thinking and not being biased while balancing the situation. It's not everybody's fault but only one man's mistake... driven by the situation. Let's stop the blame game and pointing if whose fault is this and that. Nobody won in this crisis. All of us are losers unless the right solution and justice will be served. God bless us all!
photo courtesy of: seerpress.com
