Lim: Aftermath

UNTIL now, we, Filipinos, just don’t get it. In the aftermath of the carnage that left eight Hong Kong residents dead, we continue to be on the defensive and, if I may say, illogical.

Incidents like these can happen anywhere in the world.

Countless Filipinos have died in foreign shores in the hands of foreigners. Filipinos are gifted individuals and many of them have done heroic deeds to worldwide acclaim. Supposedly patriotic Filipinos have risen in defense of our nation to combat the outrage of the people of Hong Kong. But we just don’t get it.

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No one is saying that all Filipinos are hostage-takers. No one is saying that all Filipinos are incompetent, insensitive and idiotic. But can we not admit that some of us are indeed lacking in intelligence and competence? Can we not admit that some of us are lacking in empathy, compassion and good judgment?

Do we simply disown this part of the population and say that they don’t represent us?

The actions of some may not define us but we must take responsibility all the same for the actions of fellow Filipinos as a nation. To be patriotic does not mean to simply love all that is good and Filipino. To be patriotic also means to acknowledge that which is wrong and is Filipino.

No one disputes that acts of violence can happen anywhere in the world. No one disputes that Filipinos have lost lives in the hands of foreigners in foreign shores.

The people of Hong Kong and the world for that matter do not blame us for a man gone berserk. Mad men, after all, are everywhere.

The outrage comes not from the actions of the “mad” hostage-taker but from the actions of those who were supposed to be “sane” and should have been in control of the crisis.

It is not the “incident” but the “handling of the incident” that marks us terribly in the eyes of the world.

Our incompetence, our lack of professionalism, our absence of leadership was on display for the world to see. Chaos was evident. No one was in charge. That is the greater tragedy. Lives could have been saved—that is where the outrage comes from.

For while Jackie Chan might have been right in saying that it was a “damned if you and damned if you don’t” situation, the snipers need not have taken a fatal shot. There were moments when the negotiators were within arms’ length of the hostage-taker. The hostage-taker could have been overpowered and subdued.

It is foolish to bring up the issue of the Filipino tourists stabbed dead by a mad man in 2005 in Beijing vis-a-vis the hostage-taking near Quirino Grandstand. The stabbing in Tiananmen Square happened in a matter of seconds. No one could have prevented it. The stand-off near Quirino Grandstand lasted 11 hours.

The Chinese government swiftly executed the attacker. What have we done so far? I’m not suggesting we execute anyone. But we have already failed to save lives. Let us not fail once more in taking to task those who failed to do their jobs.

How do we assuage the pain of the people of Hong Kong? We must impartially investigate, hold those responsible accountable and take serious steps to establish institutional reforms. To redeem ourselves in the eyes of the world, we must ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.

(sunstarcebucolumnist@yahoo.com)