MANILA -- A lawmaker was outraged after seeing several members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) took souvenir photo at the Quirino Grandstand where the hostage crisis occured.
“This is outright insensitive and offensive. It is an affront not just to the victims and their families but to Hong Kong nationals who are now extremely angry over how the police handled Monday’s crisis situation," said Gabriela Representative Luzviminda Ilagan.
The pictures with the tourist bus at their background are widely spreading on news and social networking websites. Groups of students were also captured in photo smiling while posing for the souvenir shot.
Ilagan also noted that the failed rescue of Chinese nationals in the bloody hostage incident will now result not just to the dimissal of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong but to the further discrimination of Filipinos in the neighbor country.
“A backlash is inevitable. The Philippine government should also be prepared to have more local jobs ready should Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong find themselves being sent home by their employers,” said Ilagan.(Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)