On Hostage Situations

I was really tired when  I got home from the 69 1/2 premier last night at the Powerplant Mall that the moment I got home, I hit the couch and was "gone" for two hours.  Since I had to finish something before daybreak, I turned on my computer and saw the stream of Newsfeed on Facebook re: the hostage situation at the Quirino Grandstand.

When I saw the news yesterday I was hoping, and even thinking, that the situation would end peacefully.  A similar situation happened in Manila a few years ago involving a busload of students; this time, with tourists from Hong Kong onboard, I was hoping that Rolando Mendoza, the former senior police officer / hostage-taker, would find a resolution with the government in order to avoid any casualties.  But alas, it did not happen.

I have been reading articles as to what happened last night (apparently the last few hours of the event was being broadcasted on TV as I was sleeping) and an officer who was interviewed earlier on GMA's morning show somehow partly directed the blame at the media.  He said that Mendoza probably saw how the event was being covered and he could see it on the bus' television; hence, he panicked and started firing.  Another angle I haven't thoroughly read about is that Mendoza's brother, who is also a police officer, said something to the media that would provoke Mendoza.

This morning Facebook was flooded with comments blaming the SWAT team.  I have to agree that much needs to be improved.  But for situations like this, the incident is not an isolated event.  It requires that you look  at the overall system of the country, the morale of people, and yes, the culture which establishes our ability to respond to these events.  This tragedy serves as a lesson, and unfortunately, great losses had to take place.

I feel sorry for the tourists and I feel sorry for my country for potentially losing the trust of the international community to travel here again.  According to the news on CNN, many tours to the Philippines from Hong Kong have been cancelled; that's loss business.  It's a painful hit to the gut that the Philippines is blacklisted, and yes, this is coming from the most developed state in one of the most powerful countries in the world.  I feel sorry for the families, and I feel sorry for Mendoza as well. I don't think that he wanted this to happen too.

It's sad, but how do we restore this?