I've been swamped at work hence the time it took since the last post. Last Monday marked a very tragic day in Philippine history. Our amazing police force is at the forefront of what is to be the best documented hostage taking in media history. No, that wasn't a compliment.
The day started out normal for me. I was at work doing work stuff when my friend sends me a message telling me there was a hostage taking. I thought nothing of it at first. Admit it, we all thought it was just one of those things. So I went on with my day getting updates every once in awhile. It seemed to be going well for them. Hostages were being released in groups and well, at least there was progress. At some point I got lost, I couldn't understand what the buzz about 3PM was until later that day. But from the way I saw it, everyone was just taking their time.
I'm not a fan of violence. I don't really like watching wrestling or UFC. I try not to be a hater. I qualified that since I do have my moments. But since getting back together with the bu, I've been trying to be more...grown up. If things can be fixed amicably then by all means it should be. So I do believe the fact that the police didn't shoot the hostage taker when they first saw his profile was a good call. They would have been criticized the same way for resorting to violence instead of trying to negotiate their way out of it. I don't envy them.
But then again, there were so many people there. Too many actually and that's what I think made everything worse. By standers, street vendors, media and way too many people who know it all. It wasn't a good equation at all.
I think the biggest thing that went wrong was the fact that the media decided to air everything. LIVE. Big mistake. I was watching a clip from a news crew last night and I was surprised. The reporter kept mentioning that the hostage taker was probably watching his family get arrested and that this would probably trigger him to becoming more aggressive and yet there he was...continuing his play by play. Common sense right? You knew the danger, you knew what could happen, you knew he was watching and yet you still went at it. Seriously. How can they say they had nothing to do with it.
Then there's the other fact that well, media is opinionated. They kept going at it. They kept pressuring the police, giving them ideas that well, maybe the brother is an accessory. I mean seriously, could all of these not have waited. Just a thought.
In the end, it was just sad. I saw the footage of how he shot at the side of the bus. I kept flashing back to previous shots when that same woman kept peeking out the window. How surreal is it that well, one minute she's alive, the next...we all know.
As a Filipino, I am ashamed. That our government system is like this. It was left like this by the previous administration. Sad and maddening. We have a lot to do, loads to fix and we all need to be part of it. Part of the change.
Now is not the time to point fingers. In the age of technology where everything is magnified and everything is broadcasted right away, we have to take responsibility. For our actions and our opinions. I too have to be like this. As Ghandi so very well phrased it for all of us...you must be the change you wish to see in the world.
But that's just my point of view...
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