Luneta Hostage Taking

I still can't get over the Quirino Grandstand Hostage Taking and whenever I recall what happened, I can't help but feel sorry for the family of the Hong Kong nationals who just came here in the Philippines just to have fun. The bus was supposed to take the tourists for a tour in Intramuros Manila when a uniformed man after the name Capt. Rolando Mendoza, dismissed police officer took over the bus in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park. Capt. Mendoza took the tourists as hostages as he demanded to be reinstated with benefits to his previous post at the Manila Police District from which he had been dismissed for extortion in 2009. He also wants the ombudsman to change his decision from guilty to not guilty, in reference to his extortion case. I can't help but imagine myself being one of the hostages inside the bus as it could be anybody's ballgame. Just recently, me and my friends in the office are talking about our plans of going for a trip to Hong Kong next year - I can't help but wonder what if this thing happened in Hong Kong and we are the one's riding in that bus. I guess I would panic,I would feel terribly afraid and would think it would be my last day on earth. I bet what transpired at Luneta that frightful night was the farthest thing on the tourists mind who only wants to have fun and explore the wonders of the Philippines.

I also can't stop myself from being angry on our police process. Imagine, it took 12 hours before they could end the hostage drama, what's worse is that it ended in a bloody battle where 8 people died including the hostage taker. There are a lot of things that went wrong, I am not really familiar on the Police's Standard Operating Procedure but in an ordinary Filipina's point of view...there are a lot of things that should've been done to avoid such bloody occurrence.

August 23, 2010 is indeed a very sad day for the Hong Kong and Filipino people I hope that the friendship between the two nations would still be intact. As Jackie Chan said in one of his tweets that same day in a magnanimous gesture extending a hand of friendship to Filipinos..."HK is a nation built by a lot of different people...don't worry! We do not hate!". So be it.