August 23rd Battle

The hostage taking happened last August 23, 2010 and it was unexpected to everyone. The most subject in that incident is the former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, the decorated police officer turned hostage-taker, died a gruesome death .He took 24 passengers of a tourist bus hostage in Manila. Mendoza carried out the siege in a bizarre attempt at getting his job back. Handwritten messages on the windscreen of the bus read Big Mistake to Correct a Big Wrong Decision and Release Final Decision. Colleagues in the police force could not believe what Mendoza just did. Mendoza’s fall from grace began not on that fateful day, but more than two years ago as he allegedly became involved in a controversial “hulidap” operation in April 2008.

But the battle happened to be disordered and weak strategy. Policemen spent several minutes trying to enter through the doors and windows, using sledgehammers. But they should have use the emergency circuit to unlock the door and get in easily. They also threw tear gas inside the bus before forcing opens the emergency exit in the back which is maybe the reason of the deaths of some hostage inside the bus, because of the too much tear gas that has been thrown. The hostage drama lasted 11 hours, resulting in the death of eight tourists and of Mendoza.

Hongkong authorities blamed the incompetence outcome by the police. Also, some of the Filipino authorities said that our police showed their being irresponsible. There has been an excessive deficit that should have done by the police men. And maybe this is the outcome of corruption in our country. We don’t have enough equipment like such needed from cases like what happened in hostage taking.

But I guess we should not blame anyone. Nobody wants to end it outrageously.  We just do not expect the events. All we need to do today is to open our hearts and minds to all trials and obstacles and see it as a trial for us to improve more. This battle between Mendoza and the Police authority serves as a moral and mirror where we can see what is wrong with our country, which we should give attention to. And to those who are saying that “I am ashamed with my fellow Filipino people”, I realized that we should not. Being a real Filipino and a better Christian people, we should learn how to accept, forgive and understand. 

-Ella Dela Cruz