The August 23 Manila Hostage Tragedy

I wanted to post something about this incident but never have the right words to express how deeply hurt and sad we are for what had happened. A good friend of mine gave me the permission to post this article which she had written to let the whole world know that we truly care. Article by: Lauren Santos

Thank God for people  who still has the rationaity to weigh things..And to come out in the open to objectively assess the incident without bias & prejudice, but just matter of factly declare that the incident was a misfortune that could have happened anywhere else in the world of even rich nations. ...To those who think otherwise, please know . I cry & mourn  with the rest of the Filipinos for  the families of the fatalities and the rest of the HK- Chinese people for another dent on our image as a Nation.   I work with  & for a HK [USA]  firm & we had never discussed it but I could feel the strain, yet I have a  deep desire to hug them  & say I am sorry, not just for the deaths, but for something as tragic has impacted  China, (HK) & Phil friendship. I cry for how we are now perceived globally  after such failing of our police in particular & the government in general. Filipinos as a people is a striving culture that has perpetually labored to right the biases of prejudiced minds. To those around the globe if it is an offense to be poor then I am sorry that we are a 3rd world nation, without enough to fund what needs to be done with our police & the military. We are so poor that our professionals, even with minds brighter than many, have been pushed to take up jobs as domestic staff, housekeepers, nannies, drivers, gas boys, deck hands, care takers & care givers. But no matter how lowly we seem to be in your eyes, we are still proud of our heritage, & to uphold our virtues as a people. No matter how the rest judge us, still we are a compassionate, forgiving & God fearing nation. You saw how we unseated 2 Presidents without bloodshed, still unparalleled by none, not even China, when they had mass movement in Beijing years ago. We lack the physical fire power, but our moral integrity & spiritual fiber has what  made us  victors in negotiating a peaceful change of government, Unfortunately, our option for a peaceful negotiation rather than  a hard core & hard line assault, that fateful day of August 23 had not come through for us. Also, please do not forget, that we may be called Filipinos, but we have as much Chinese blood, as Spanish and Malay blood in us. How then can any one think that we could allow intentionally this tragedy to the Chinese, who are after all our own brothers, by virtue  of our cultural ancestry? We are all victims of the tragedy, which has befallen us all, for which by some force unknown, it happened, neither you nor I can explain, only because it was an incident simply for a greater divine purpose. The challenge is not to find blame, but to rise above the inequities of life & move forward and forge a formidable bond across the nations amongst people of this earth that no crisis such as this can ever break apart.