Our Condolences and Prayers…

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Our sincerest condolences and prayers go out to the families of Hong Kong tourists who were killed in yesterday’s hostage taking situation at the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park. And more prayers for the recovery of those tourists injured in the incident. Eight lives lost, and several injured in hospital, not to mention the trauma suffered by others, many of them young children, in what can only be described as a senseless and unnecessary act of a lone gunman. It was an incident that could have happened anywhere, but yesterday, it happened here. Our household watched for several hours yesterday afternoon and into the evening as television stations broadcast the horror unfolding. I cannot help but observe that it took our troops what seemed like an excruciatingly long amount of time to penetrate the bus and get inside, alternating between trying to break the windows, the doors, the emergency door, etc., sometimes losing their sledgehammers or axes into the windows and when in, beating a hasty retreat when fired upon. This went on for some 45 minutes until the gunman was finally shot and killed from outside. I realize there were complexities and complications that were not apparent, and one shouldn’t really criticize based on two cameras trained on the scene, but it certainly gave off the perception that we could possibly have been much better trained and equipped to handle this situation. And perhaps the whole thing should NOT have been televised. Of course we are grateful for the troops who put their lives at risk and participated in the assault, but still we are greatly saddened by the loss of innocent lives. The choice of red gladiolus flowers in the photo is because of several symbolic meanings, the long flat leaves akin to swords and piercing sorrows. Filipinos around the world condole with the families of the victims of this tragedy.

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56 Responses

  1. How sad and senseless.. i think Noy should make a strong statement out that YES, it is still a safe country :(

  2. I agree with you MM, the whole thing should not have been televised live because the gunman was obviously monitoring the reports.

  3. What’s worse is the SWAT (aka Sana Wag Ako Tamaan or Sorry, Wala Akong Training) team had supposedly “practiced” their strategy numerous times earlier. I wonder if this strategy consisted of senselessly hacking the glass and running like hell for cover at the sound of a gunshot.

    The media were no help either. Their coverage of how the brother was apprehended could’ve been a major factor that triggered the last, tragic, fatal events.

  4. Nakakalungkot isipin hindi lang dahil sa may mga pumanaw at nasaktan, kundi may pangit na repercussion ang pangyayaring iyon sa ating bansa, ekonomiya, at lipunan.
    Kaya ako ay napangiti sa post na ito ni MM nakakapagpalubag- loob.
    Malayo sa perpekto ang pagpapataw ng hustisya dito, kaya imbes na hustisya kadalasan ay inuuna ang pagpapaguwapo. Sana tigilan natin ang pagbatikos ngayon, lalong masisira ang ating bansa at pamahalaan, tulungan natin ang ating pangulo na isulong ang ating bansa…

  5. Do we have low moral PNP that would resort to hostage taking just to be heard? Likewise, do we have incompetent authorities manning situations like this? Tourism and investment sectors will suffer. Hay…just when the new administration have given hope to many. so sad…

  6. Kumukulo ang dugo ko sa media at doon sa kapatid while I was watching last night. Pampagulo lang sila:( Masyadong naging excited ang media sa broadcasting nila, hindi nila na isip ang kapakanan nang mga tao sa loob nang bus. Sometimes you have to think before you act, hindi na kailangang sabihin nang iba, “Na ouy! tama na yan baka na papanood na yan sa loob nang bus! Baka lalong magwala iyong hostager!”

  7. … how one man can easily bring the image of a nation down… my thoughts and prayers goes to everyone whose lives have been changed by this senseless brutality . :o(

  8. Very tragic indeed. I cannot imagine the horror of the whole ordeal, the trauma of the survivors, and the grief of the families of those who perished. I’ve only followed the news online, but from where I sit, it seems the situation was bungled big-time, and at great cost to those who were killed.

    Regarding local media, on FB, people are talking about the insensitive comment issued by a top (and controversial) media person bragging about how the hostage video clip has been picked up by major global new organizations. I haven’t seen the clip, but if this is true, this makes me really angry. Lives were lost, and all some people can think about are the ratings…?

  9. its so sad. i’ve been seeing coverage of the event in shanghai’s subways and fielding questions from chinese friends if manila is that dangerous. i agree that live local media coverage of the situation only made things worse for the police trying to negotiate with the gunman.

  10. mm, it would be more appropriate to use white flowers (buddhist symbol of death, mourning) instead of red (joy, celebration) in your picture. just thought you should know.

  11. saw these lovely gladioli all over cebu the past two weekends. the churches have wonderful arrangements of these, usually combined with mums. these are grown in busay, right? the church in opon (lapu-lapu city) had a particularly stunning display of red gladioli, white mums and lobster claw heliconias.

  12. marj, thanks for that. I realize white is a more appropriate color for funerals, but this was not meant to be an offering for a funeral, nor a literal gesture. It is symbolic and it is explained in the post. There is by no means any intention to slight by use of the color, and it is meant as much for those who survived the ordeal as well as the family and relatives of all involved. I have done flowers for wakes and funerals before, here and here.

  13. Wholeheartedly agree that there should have been a blackout or something. To have the whole thing live and broadcast in CNN, Chinese channels in the mainland really was too much. I feel so sorry for all the friend or family of hostages or hostage taker who probably watched the whole thing on TV.

  14. No amount of apology could ever bring back the lives of those killed. I supported PNOY and will still support him but in my educated opinion, mali yung strategy na walang high ranking official na nandun sa site. PNOY reasoned out na baka dumami yung demands nung hostage taker. I beg to disagree. He shouldn’t have let those low ranking officials negotiate with the ‘disgruntled policeman’ na for all we know mas malawak ang experience kesa sa kanila.
    They should have tried the very best they could to avoid what just happened. How could we ever repair our image? We can’t really blame those nations issuing travel ban to the Philippines.
    They have all the right. Ako nga Pilipino, natatakot sa mga pulis, nangangamba pag sumasakay ng bus– sila pa kaya. If I were the Hongkong/China Gov’t., I would even impose economic embargo to the Philippines. Kung tayo ang nasa lugar nila, gosh, siguro rally na tayo agad to expel sila sa bansa natin.
    We should do something about our police being grossly incompetent and our media –unethical. Truth may hurt but it’s the truth!
    I actually woke up wishing that everything was just a nightmare, after a few moment I realized that yes, it was indeed a nightmare! The only catch is that–IT IS REAL. BLOODY REAL.
    Sorry could be a painful word. I wish we could give the victims more than that. Nakakahiya at maling mali ang nangyare!

  15. It is shocking and sad to say the least. The economy will surely suffer from this senseless act. Moving forward, the government has to address the issue of corruption within the top ranks of the police force. Obviously, the SWAT team was ill equipped and poorly trained.

  16. I am both saddened and outraged. Saddened over the unnecessary loss of lives and outraged over how the situation was handled by the government officials concerned, law enforcers and media.

    Our prayers for the victims and their anguish.

    We must also pray for our country, who will bear the brunt of the world’s displeasure over the incident.

  17. I am so frustrated at how this was handled. I am not for media blackout because it was through media’s coverage that we all realized how badly it was bungled. I now wonder if all previous crisis situations were handled that poorly but just never reported because of media blackouts. If there were concerns that the hostage taker was watching TV on the bus, couldn’t the police have jammed the signal? Also, apart from the appallingly clumsy way they were approaching the bus, didn’t they have any equipment at all? Gas masks for the tear gas, thermal imaging so they can shoot the hostage taker, small explosives to open the door? Even our common folk Counterstrike aficionados would know what to do! And why didn’t they have any copy of the bus “blueprints”? Why did it take the media to tell them that there was an emergency button? There were so many things wrong with the way this was handled it’s beyond pathetic. Whoever insisted on the arrest of Mendoza’s brother should be held accountable.

  18. Nakakalungkot ang nangyari kahapon. Nadaan pa ako kahapon sa may Roxas Blvd ng walang kamalay malay sa mga pangyayari. Totoo, nakakatakot na talaga sa mga panahon ngayon, mahirap magtiwala sa mga tao dahil kahit yung mga naatasan at sumumpa na magbabantay at mangangalaga sa atin ay siya pa mismong mga tao na nagiging dahilan upang tayo’y malagay sa alanganin. Bagamat naniniwala pa rin ako na marami pang matiinong pulis sa ating bansa, minsan di ko maiwasang paniwalaan ang sinabi ng isang kakilala na marami ang nagbabayad lang ng training at pati examinations para mapabilang sa hanay. Di kataka-taka kung bakit napaka incompetent ng karamihan sa ating kapulisan.

  19. Thank you MM for articulating our sadness and grief over what happened, and being a conduit for our feelings.
    China, I hope. would be understanding. Last year there was a hostage crisis in the far west of China when a Muslim activist commandeered a bus load of tourists, including some Australians on board. However, the outcome there was that the activist was killed and no tourists were harmed.It is easy to be wise after the event, and I am sure all those involved did their very best, at great risk to themselves.
    Such situations are likely to happen again, with our large concentrated population and so much potential for frustration and conflict. We need world class training and resources for our personnel, including trained negotiators; is there the will, and the funding, for this? Do we deserve the best standards of security?

  20. And where was the president (beloved by many) when all this happened? No where to be found. What does he have to say?

  21. What happened last night was very tragic indeed. It just shows how much unprepared we are for incidents like these. For instance, how could the SWAT use tear gas when they do not even have gas mask to protect themselves for the assault? There are a lot of not so good things in the news that are happening with our policemen right now. This could not be addressed by the PNoy alone. This calls for a total moral recovery program. God bless the Philippines…

  22. The policemen were not equipped, not trained (enough) to do a “counter-strike” type of assault that probably most of us are thinking. Some didn’t even have bullet-proof vests, helmets, not even gas masks. They are brave and not nagpapa-pogi.

    The media? The ask stupid questions. Sila ang nagpapa-pogi.

  23. I was watching the media coverage of this incident last night with my dad. Dad was a former cop, member of the Special Action Force back in the early 90s during the hardcore operation against the Abu Sayaff. Dad of course, went through tough training for jungle/guerilla warfare as well as urban warfare and also, hostage situation.

    Dad was ranting because the “SWAT” team aren’t really trained for this. The things they did last night were not in the manual and it cannot be called as “thinking-outside-the-box” solution to end the situation. Dad even called one of his former team mate from SAF who is now with the Manila Police District and suggested what to do but then, there’s another official who’s “On-top-of-the-situation”.

    The way the “SWAT” team moved isn’t really SWAT-ish. They should have called for help from the Special Action Force based in Bicutan. One more thing, the Head of the Philippine National Police did not even show up with quite a shame. Gen. Verzosa should have been on top of the situation since there are foreign nationals involved in the hostage taking.

    What a great way to eff up our country. I was watching this international Asian news channel earlier and the Hong Kong and Chinese Government is very dissatisfied with the way our police force handled the situation and several countries also issued a travel ban here in the Philippines.

  24. Definitely Pnoy has to overhaul the police bureau… from torture cases, to summary killing of suspects, illegal detention, to handling of hostage crises… I myself was harrassed a few years ago by manila police for making a wrong turn that is why im always afraid to drive to manila. Our police is a bunch of #$!!!!xXZ and they should not be given this kind of job…

  25. It’s so tragic, and sad to know that it all have to end in a bloody carnage. Police vs Police, innocents had to suffer. That incident surely affects Philippines’ tourism.

  26. i totally agree!!!!!! IT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TELEVISED… the Media thinks it’s their duty to tell everything to the people….my my my…. this is not a telenovela!!! the media should know when to stop.. be more responsible.

  27. Why has no one been fired yet? In other countries, the officials would be committing suicide out of extreme shame. Makapal lang talaga ang mga palpak na officials natin..

    Ako rin, I’ve experienced being harrassed by a group of policemen while driving home passing through Manila late one night. They set up a “huli” center in that dark area in Legarda outside Arellano University. They flagged every private car and inspected us. Checkpoint daw. E bakit puro private vehicles lang and iba iba ang make, may SUV, may sedan, iba-ibang kulay. Jeeps and taxis they didn’t stop. They inspected everything in the car even if they legally should not. They were heavily armed, about 12 guys or so spread out. Good thing I had someone else with me and there were several other cars too or it would have been really life-threatening. When they couldn’t find anything wrong they asked to see my driver’s license. Unfortunately I had forgotten to renew it and it was expired by a week. Naghahanap lang talaga sila ng mali so they can extort me. I stayed cool and played nice and sweet and got off by paying several hundred bucks. Don’t talk to me about being a party to bribery. I just wanted to get out of there alive and not leave them any copy of my name or address. Mahirap na, baka mag-follow-up pa sila with a kidnap/robbery operation.

    Maraming “huli” center sa Manila so always drive using well-travelled, well-lit roads kahit na traffic to be safe. I am happy when it rains kasi it means cops are hiding. As someone who drives often, being accosted by police for “traffic violations” is not uncommon anymore. I’m a very careful driver but these things still happen. Peace and order here is really in a very sorry state, especially when you’re afraid of both the criminals AND the police. I really hope that Noynoy has the leadership to clean up and professionalize the police.

  28. As a foreigner living in your beautiful country, I feel very relieved to have been able to read comments as honest and sincere as all those above – would only more people think similarly and make their feelings known to the rulers of this nation. Great gesture MM.

  29. PNP = inept.
    Media = irresponsible.
    Of course over the next few months we shall be treated to the moro-moro called “finger-pointing”. Luma nang kwento yan.
    Look at the Ampatuan case. Aaabutan ng isang taon, wala pang mangyayari diyan.
    We were a nation in need of leaders yesterday.
    If we send a high-level delegation na luluhod sa HongKong, we shall be a bunch of fools.

  30. It’s an isolated case that has gone overly public. Media blackout should have been implemented. The gunman had radio and TV on board and was listening to details how the operations were being done. It was tragic to say the least.Thanks MM, like you and the rest of the sensible people around the world, this is all sad and we just pray for those who survived.

  31. according to the article at Time.com, the police is in slow motion while assaulting the hostage taker.

  32. May God bless all the souls of the departed and ease the burden of the ones who survived.

    It is indeeed sad that this happen in our country infront fo the whole world. Other victims have also suffered in the hands of abusive men with guns many times over in our beloved country.

    I don’t know how could we stomach not having the likes of the Ampatuans get punished with swift justice so others won’t copy them.

    I guess we Filipinos are very forgiving, and forgetful of other bad deeds but if we don’t learn from all these things, it will happen over and over again.

    I pray that the HK/Chinese government do not relent on finding out the truth about the situation that just happened and punish who needs to be punished.

    Justice for the victims, all victims.. foreigners or not.

    Justice for the victims of the Ampatuans now!!!

    Keep the Philippines beautiful! Filipinos…. quit making our country ugly!!!

  33. I sympathize for the victims as well…

    On another note, it is interesting that gladiolas in the Philippines (as well as in other countries I think?) are used for mourning. I remember in Pinas that funeral parlors and flower shops always use gladiolas, lilies as well as carnations for flower arrangements for the bereaved.

    Here in the Netherlands, gladiolas are used to congratulate, mainly in the ‘vierdagse event’ (4 days walkathon) where bystanders wait in the finish line to give out gladiolas to the participants.

  34. Forgetting that we are 12 hours delayed in TV coverage here in Texas, I watched in the morning the start of the Hostage Crisis. I then went for an errand and back home at night, (minutes before the seige), I was surprised at how it turned out because earlier I thought the police were handling it so lightly (as I see people just casually passing by the street). My husband (even though he was so tired) watched every second of what was happening, until he stood away from the tv, disappointed at how the police and the media was processing the happenings. I was so emotionally upset and was being verbal. I was even crying.. and praying not only for the tourist, but also for the hostage taker. I know most people already convicted him in as a “monster”, but how do we know what is really going on his mind and what is the real stories. My hubby said the media played their role good and bad. Good for bringing the news (so that we will actually see what is going on and no cover-up will be done), bad for it seems have contributed to negative negotiations result. I have 2 tv’s going on recording on one and watching on the other. When I previewed my recording, I noticed what was being voiced-out was different from what was televised. I was confused at most times, and if that is so, how much more is Mendoza taking it with his state of mind. My bottom line, everybody is affected, and prayers are to be for Everybody.

  35. Marketman – I take comfort that you have probably the most active and well maintained blogs in cyberspace. That said, I’m sure you will be actively monitoring people’s posts. I appreciate that you take the time to read and respond in kind. Even more so with this recent tragedy. Your tribute to this event is fitting and most dignified.

    Here in the Bay Area, where Asians literally live side by side, the news from Manila did not make a major impact on any of the media outlets except for the internet and one independent channel. It was on this channel where the rebroadcast from the Philippines played out the human drama unfolding in Manila and then to be echoed an hour later with a local Chinese broadcast. Both respectively came with not differing views, but different reflections of the day’s events.

    In the aftermath of such, there is the mourning and of course, the finger pointing. To my fellow readers, I believe that many of you are calm and open minded people, and that we find mutual interest in the musing of Marketman and his daily experience. For myself, as a Filipino living in the US, I have learned another part of my homeland that I thought never existed through reading and sharing on this blog.

    Though we are compelled to provide comment, vent or maybe provide analysis (and maybe to such from actual ‘experience’), this event will (hopefully) be investigated objectively and dealt with appropriately. There were mistakes made. There is no doubt about that. In the bigger scope, this is a tragic event not just limited to the Philippines. As mentioned with the finger pointing, there is already question about the wellbeing of Filipino overseas workers in HK and China.

    Let us pray for all those affected, that appropriate action be done and that cooler heads prevail.

  36. I guess we were expecting too much from the philippine police. The have along history of bungling hostage crises. They are good in extortion and dringking beer though.

  37. MM – thank you for the sentiments expressed in your post. it is so very unfortunate that an irrational action of one man will affect the international reputation (or what’s left of it) of the entire nation.

  38. MM, I learned of this tragedy after the fact and my heart sank when I learned of the news. My prayers go out to the souls of the victims, the survivors, their families, as well as to the other individuals involved, and to the healing of our nation.

  39. MM, thanks for this post. Like your family, my husband and I watched in disbelief as the tragedy unfolded and I agree, it seemed like an unbearably long time before the SWAT team could get to the hostage-taker. I think it is very unfortunate that Capt. Mendoza could not see the bigger picture when he did what he did – regardless of the outcome. I’m a teacher by day. When I get the chance, I tell my students that all it takes is one person in one critical incident to ruin the reputation of an entire school, people, or country. The kids get it – why couldn’t he?

    My hope is that our people’s faith in our institutions and processes can be restored – that cases can be heard fairly and we can channel our concerns properly. If this is not done then we might see this again.

    As I watched the outrage and sorrow with which the world reacted to the killings, I felt like digging a hole in the ground and putting my head in it. :(

  40. Its very sad that it happened to innocent people. It is good that your comment showed that your not being biased, compared to different opinions online. I believe that the way HK officials blaming our government is not necessary, the lack of skills our police force is shown but why put the whole country down because of this mistake, they even placed our country in BLACK alert that they advise not to travel to the philippines.. the philippines consists of 7k+ islands with millions of residences, its only a small chances that it happened to them and i hated the way they speak about us, making it too general.. nobody wanted it to happen in the first place, even us filipinos are mourning over the incident but they making it look like we dont care about what happened.. time will heal all wounds i guess..

    btw i love your site :)

  41. This is a tragedy. I’m not sure it will affect tourism as much as many think. I suspect many pinoy do not know how much our governments warn us against problems here (I’m a foreigner living here … “mystiso na ako”).

    To those who are calling for media silence: be careful what you wish for. Too much exposure is better than too little. Sunlight is acid to corruption. Always remember that.

    “Sorry, Wala Akong Training” … that much is obvious from watching the tapes. What, no appropriate explosives to quickly and safely blow the doors off the bus? The PNP really needs to get training for these guys. It’s like insurance. You don’t want to use it. But, when you need it, you REALLY need it.

  42. James, I sent you an email in answer to your email to me. I hope you received it, my emails tend to end up in people’s junk mail folders these days… :)

  43. My thoughts go to OFWS in Hong Kong. I pray that they would not be harrassed or mistreated badly because of this very sad, and tragic incident.

    As for HK government getting so mad at ours, could we really blame them? Perhaps, all the “bad talk”, for a lack of a better term, about our country, perhaps, we deserve it.

  44. it was my husband who told me what is happening in the phils when he came home from work and when we watched it from BBC I was cringing from embarrassment of what is being shown, swat (kuno) are smashing windows and doors in a very inept manner why did they not wait for special forces as it is very clear they are not capable of handling the situation or are they arrogant enough to think they can do it. I was very sad for those lives lost for senseless reasons, will our government ever learn or just put these as one of those things…now when people ask me in the streets of what/why it happened i honestly told them i really dont know. very sad indeed

  45. Nakakalungkot ang pangyayari. Ang dami pa namang mga filipino na nag tatrabaho sa hong kong. Paano aasenso ang bansang Pilipinas kung wala ng mga dayuhan na gustong dumayo ng dahil sa isang pulis na nagsira sa pangalan ng bansang Pilipinas.

  46. The inept way that this crisis was handled was so bad it was just too absurd..police trying to break the bus doors open using rope which obviously would break which it did..what?no budget for cables?…..police trying to break perspex windows with sledge hammers..obviously it won’t shatter..which it didn’t…no crowd control..potential for a by stander to be hurt..which happened….and the list goes on.SO FRUSTRATING!Also police snipers had clear shots so many times of the hostage taker..why couldn’t they have shot him in the shoulders to disable and “neutralize” him thus end the situation..no one would have died then including the hostage taker.

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