It was as if a very powerful typhoon had lashed the Philippines last August 23, 2010. What the previous administrations tried to build over time was gone in a matter of a few unwanted hours. And as a result, our tourism industry along with international goodwill went for naught. A disgruntled policeman from my hometown Tanauan, Batangas boarded a bus loaded with tourists from neighboring Hong Kong, held them hostage for the rest of the day and later on decided to kill them one by one. The drama was covered live on tv as if it was just a basketball game Filipinos love to watch and play. The situation was calm during the day as the hostage taker, Sr. Inspector Mendoza had released some of the hostages, asked for a power outlet where he could re-charge his cellular phone and received food for his hostages. But, nobody thought that the gruesome fate for the remaining hostages would come. It was so naive of the policemen not to have commanded the media group that certain things must not be covered live lest the hostage taker will become agitated. The hostage taker was being interviewed by a reporter over the radio- RMN Radio – and was seeing on the on-board television that his policeman brother was being arrested by the police that he cried foul and demanded that his brother not be treated shabbily or else he would start shooting the hostages. And within three minutes from that warning he started the carnage. Before that, the reporter interviewing him was trying to call the attention of a Gen. Yebra but he left his position to go elsewhere and thus was unable to be reached.
The hostage taker was a decorated policeman and was one of the top policemen awardee sometime ago. He was accused of robbery extortion by a Filipino chef as well as forcing the said chef to swallow drugs, reports say. His case was heard by the Philippine National Police – Internal Affairs Office and the Regional Trial Court which both dismissed the cases. The Ombudsman though had suspended him. This is one tragic moment for all Filipinos here and abroad. We are a shame in the eyes of the world and the goodwill which the new government hopes to create diminished in just a matter of hours. I mourn for the tourists who died, I mourn for the hostage taker who also died but I mourn more for our country for the opportunities wasted. The world became witness to the shameful acts of the policemen who were acting just like boy scouts during the drama.
