It has been a week since the tragedy occurred in Quirino Grandstand. It is raining as I write. It was also raining hard when the hostage taking ended.
I could not bring myself to write anything in this blog for a week. Not even a Facebook status update.
I was too stunned.
I was grieving for those who perished in that stand-off.
I was grieving for my country.
After watching the news for one week… the story is slowly unfolding. The hostage taker, the tourists and then the police operation that unraveled before the eyes of the world watching through so many networks.
This week was quite painful for the country. We are still reeling from the bus accident in Naguillan. Then another bus accident in Cebu that almost killed 35 students. Then today another bus fell in Quezon where 5 people were killed and 47 were injured… how about the hostage taking in an internet shop where 8 boys in that cafe were held hostage as well… on the same day it was happening in Quirino Grandstand.
It feels like this country is going through its social cancer. And this cancer has metastasise to so many parts of the country. We have a senator who is at large at the moment… evading the law that he was supposed to represent. We have a congressman caught with cocaine in Hongkong. A police inspector caught while torturing a suspect. We had a president who miserably failed the nation during her term. We still have the Maguindanao massacre probe un-resolved and the victims are still waiting for justice to be given them… and on and on this cancer cells go.
And now this disgruntled policeman who killed the HK tourists…
What will the breaking point be?
What will be the trigger by which this cancer will just explode and destroy all of us?
What kind of people would steal from the victims of a bus accident in Quezon when the victims were all physically harmed and could only rely on the goodwill of the people?
What kind of people would project Spiderman on top of that bus and have that picture posted on FB?
What kind of people would gamely pose for pictures at the site where 8 people were innocently killed?
This cancer is really upon us. But it is not all over us, yet. Oncological treatment to prevent the spread of cancer cells would also be good for our society and culture. We need to humble ourselves and admit our mistakes. We need to stop thinking that we are doing all these things just to look good. But rather, we do good because it is our nature and it is deep in our character – even when others are no longer watching us.
We keep on saying we desire a better country – and yet we wait for people to do it for us. When we look for a government that is honest and corrupt-free, then we should be the honest and corrupt-free people that should be governed by the government that we truly seek.
We claim to be the most christianized nation in Asia… yet what is missing from all of us is the regeneration that would truly show our neighbors that we belong to Him and that He is in control of our lives.
It was a very sad week for the country… and the sadness lingers still.
Today we celebrated HEROES DAY – and yet honestly, there is a dearth right now for heroes.
Father God, we pray for our country. Please rescue us from ourselves.
Shower your grace upon us.
Listen to our prayers. Transform us as a nation.
Heal our land.
