Anniversary of the Mendoza hostage tragedy on August 23

By -
A few anniversaries are coming up. But one that will forever be etched into the collective consciousness is the national shame of the August 23, 2010 hostage crisis in Manila that claimed the lives of eight innocent Hong Kong tourists. In the lead up to the first anniversary of this horrible tragedy, let us all try to recall the lessons we, as a people need to learn from what could have been a preventable senseless loss of life.

Comments

  1. Ben KritzAugust 1, 2011 at 9:42 PM

    For anyone here with History Channel on cable (here in the Philippines, I don't know about elsewhere), on August 7 at 10:00 pm they will be airing a documentary about the massacre.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular this week

Foreign Media bias: It's personal!

By -
Image
SEE THE DIFFERENCE: When De Lima presented an incredible witness to demolish a President-- 》News reports immediately vilifying our President and painting him as the man behind thousands of senseless deaths (EJK) came out left and right even when the hearing was still on-going. 》Immediately after the hearing, surprisingly, a pre-taped video of Matabato's testimony, complete with English sub-title, was already made available online and was posted by New York Times. 》In less than 5 hours, the international media came out with highly damaging & misleading headlines and grossly distorted & one-sided news reports--taking Matabato's testimony as nothing but the truth. 》Most of local & foreign press did not even present the other side of the story (no mention of Lacson, Sotto, & Cayetano's remarks showing the inconsistencies and lies of the witness' testimony) 》Only after few days and only after thousands of Filipinos here and abroad have united ...
Read more

Jose Rizal never had Tagalog in mind when he encouraged us to love our own language

By -
Image
Posted by a certain Chloe Santiago on the Facebook GRP Community Group : Jose Rizal died in 1896 and Tagalog was declared the official language of the Philippine only in 1937. This can only mean that Rizal wasn't really talking about Tagalog when he made this statement: "He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish." Indeed. Who made the arbitrary directive to make the Tagalog dialect the "National Language" to begin with? Furthermore, why have a "National Language" when Filipinos are already proficient in the global lingua franca of commerce and scientific achievement?
Read more

A nation without a dream is a people condemned to the hopelessness of their mediocrity

By -
Image
The rule of law cannot easily take root in the Philippines because the nation does not possess the political maturity to sustain a thriving republican democracy. The concepts of the rule of law and democracy are fragile ideals and aspirations, which need constant vigilance and a continuing active social commitment. They are not indigenous to any one particular people or nation in the western world, not even the United States of America where they have eroded over time. In order to foster the rule of law, democracy must be supported by the integral, moral discipline of its citizenry. It is a discipline that does not come about through force or imposition. It does not come by as an unconscious, random natural process. Rather, it is the product of a volitional, conscious choice and effort, individually and collectively, to progress beyond the past and well on to the future, based on the sense of a common good for the greatest numbers of people. It is a learned, informed, and enlight...
Read more

Filipinos have a history of starting what they can't finish

By -
Image
Recently, in Basilan, Mindanao another tragic clash between the AFP and the MNLF occurred. What was decried as unexpected, unnecessary violence turned out to be the dead bodies of 19 soldiers and no reported MNLF soldiers. I want you to read that line over and over again until you find the hidden surprise. Have you found it? If not, I did not describe MNLF as insurgents, infidels, or terrorists. Why? Well, for starters that's not journalism, it's propaganda. There's enough propaganda waging the war against the MILF/MNLF as it is, I don't see a need for more. But I digress. The point of this article is this: The ongoing struggle in Mindanao is a repetitive headline churner for one reason only. That reason is the result of a trait which many have, but Filipinos have perfected. From infrastructure to personal otangs (loans), Filipinos have been shirking personal responsibility and starting arguments which they can't finish for quite some time. Everybody wants to get th...
Read more