Right now, I am hanging my head in shame after what happened last Monday.

We have a person who felt wronged.  Nothing wrong with trying to get justice for a wrong done to you.  What’s wrong is involving innocent people (the tourists) in such a violent manner.  From hereon, Captain Mendoza will be remembered not for his being an ten outstanding policemen awardee back in the eighties, not for being a multi awarded cop, but for being the instigator of this bus seige and for killing eight tourists.

We have a police force which lacks competence in handling this sort of situation.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe they should have proceeded carefully, negotiated wisely and get as many people out of harm’s way as possible.  And don’t further anger the man who held more than 20 lives at stake.  Maybe the timing was off.  I do not think that they should have arrested the brother at that point in time, especially since he’s watching.

We have a media who do not know when to stop.  I don’t know, aren’t there guidelines to this sort of thing?  It does seem like the fact that he witnessed the arrest of his brother on TV triggered the chain of violence.

We have leaders who were absent during the 11 hour drama.  No statements from them, no stepping in.  It was already turning into an international event, for goodness’ sake!  We need higher ups to step in at this point.  The highest official I saw was the vice mayor of Manila.

We have people who treated this as just a show, a free movie, a drama.  Uzis, please remember that real lives are at stake.  This is no action movie that at the end of this all, the hero always emerges victorious.  Especially since we do not really have one right now.  Please just stay out of the way.

I know that this is probably ranting from an amateur observer.  There may be excuses as to why the whole incident happened and why eight people died.  But EIGHT PEOPLE died.  Eight people who came to enjoy the Philippines.  Eight people who could have extolled the Philippines for their wonderful experience, if they had one, that is.  Eight people who are somebody’s parents, siblings, children.  Eight people who died not in some remote barrio, but in bustling Manila, the capital!

It’s so shameful.  It’s so wrong.

Tags: hostage incident, news