Sadly, as things turned sour and our friendship affected, we tend to reflect. Is life really worth fighting for? Embracing what our national hero, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino once illustriously said and I asked: Are we really truly “worth fighting for”? I say yes. All of humanity is truly worth fighting for. I apologize for how poorly the hostage crisis was handled by the government. Indeed, there were lapses as we see it unfold. Lives, eight precious lives of our beloved friends were lost. Lost not because they could have wished for it but it was lost because someone decided it for them beyond their own control and beyond God’s will. We see this event unfurled before our very eyes. I pray for their soul and may they rest in peace.
Sometimes, I also wonder why our President behaved the way he did during and after the crisis. Taking it as it was, I say, he was caught off guard, nothing much prepared him for such inevitable situation and we are so sorry. He was ridiculed, seen as insensitive and irked many because of his insensitivities on what has just happened. I, myself is not happy of what he has made of himself on this crisis. I am contend that he has made amends and apologized.
As a Filipino, I never condone such unspeakable attack on innocent civilians, who came to my country to see how it is, feel the hospitality of our people and yet, tragically experienced the end of their lives. These friends could have lived well, productive lives in their homes now but all is lost. Their lives are lost and we truly, as a nation, as a Filipino are sorry for what has happened.
As a Filipino, I appeal for sobriety, calmness and openness of mind. Let not the blunder of some few handicapped policemen be the sole yardstick of our flourishing bilateral relations. China and the Philippines have enjoyed the friendliest of relations, including that of Hong Kong, home to our fellow Filipinos who worked tirelessly to be of significant help to you my friends. I worry for them not because they might lose their jobs but I worry for them because they too, like other OFWs, have their families to feed back home. If they are in danger in Hong Kong, what will become of their families? I say this out perhaps of desperation that our contract workers in Hong Kong may be without jobs or are now on the verge of losing their jobs. They, like you my friends, are humans, who are innocent bystanders of this horrendous and unfortunate crisis.
Truly, I valued your emotions and I felt it. I felt it when my parents passed away. I can feel your pains because you, among our neighbours are one of our closest. We shared culture, language, and many more. I never speak Chinese but I have friends who can and are Chinese. I am proud of them. Most of them even have their forefathers hailed from Mainland China and Hong Kong. Our ties are strong, let us not cut it so abruptly that it will cost us our lives too. Our lives are intertwined. Filipinos work in Hong Kong homes and offices and Filipino families are better off because of the help of our Hong Kong friends and their employers. We are better as friends and we continue to be. We shared everything. As I have said, we are like brothers and sisters, and by it, we share your pains and we felt it much more like you do. This is an unfortunate event that tested us, our spirit and our bond.
I say we have made everything worked out just as it seemed. I apologize for what have happened and seek your understanding for failures of our policemen including our own lapses in not securing the lives of our friends. As they rest in peace, let us send them love. Love where no hatred can ever break. Love where we can heal the wounds inflected by this hostage crisis. Love where we can move on as one, Hong Kong and Manila, Filipinos and Chinese.
I, like many Filipinos demand the same explanation, accountability and sensitivity from our President and those who are involved. We share your indignation and your outcry. We share your pains and your sorrow. I felt the agony of losing someone we hold dear. Losing a father, mother, son, daughter and a friend feels like our world stopped altogether. We felt helpless, pained, robbed and abandoned. We, as a nation, felt it too. We felt the shame of not being able to protect everyone, Filipinos and our guests alike in this crisis. We felt the shame of not being able to act swiftly to save the lives of these innocent friends. We felt the anger you now feel because of this fiasco. But, we stand firmly and side by side with you and of Hong Kong as we move on together. We live our lives as one; we can carry on as one too.
Let peace reign between our shores and our two peoples. We have more to share and learn in this life and yes, we are all “worth fighting for”, of which, I am sure, our President has bravely fought.
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