Looking at Two Sides

It's almost a year now since I wrote my last entry here. There are so many things that have happened lately that I don't want to talk about but what is happening around me can't just be set aside in one corner. I know for a fact that each person is entitled to have his or her own opinion on things that are happening around. So, here I am writing and giving my opinion to what happened for this week. My mind is screaming and telling me that I should get these things in writing. So here it goes...

I know how delicate it is to talk about the hostage crisis that everyone tuned in to last Monday, August 21. News team from around the globe like CNN, BBC, ABC, and Hongkong local news are all simulcast and bringing live coverage of the Ex-policeman who held up a tourist bus and passengers are mostly Chinese nationals in Manila. The hostage lasted I think 10 or 11 hours. I won't elaborate more on what happened within those hours for I'm sure many know what happened. I would like to elaborate more regarding how our local government handled the situation on my own opinion. I'm no policeman or related to any of those investigators or any committee involving taking control of the situation. But what I don't understand is that why it took so long for the authorities to negotiate with the hostage taker? The hostage taker is asking for the police force to give him back his job and to go over or review his charges for misconduct in the office of the Ombudsman. Would it be simple that the negotiator told the ex-cop that they will look into it ASAP? And that they took it into writing or legal documents that they will review the charges or look into what they can do to get him back his job. Legal document that would be signed by people in authority that could help the ex-cop in this situation. I would think that if the ex-cop have a legal document at hand, it have ended up the hostage peacefully. Yes, they did shown him a document from the Ombudsman but the hostage taker just said that it is all trash! At that time they should have not let the hostage taker look at the document that even the authorities know that it won't do them any good. I think they only showed that document thinking that they could buy more time for negotiation or the hostage taker will take the document and just surrender. The incident might have ended up around 5:00 in the afternoon if not for the incident happened to the hostage taker's brother. The hostage taker's brother is also a policeman but seen near the tourist bus wearing civilian clothes and carrying a pistol. Later on, the hostage taker's brother was disarmed and arrested for authorities think that he is an accomplish. The hostage taker seen all these on live television because the tourist bus has a television installed in. This provoked the hostage taker to kill the 8 Chinese nationals ending the hostage crisis sadly after a sniper took shot of the hostage taker when he appeared unintentionally at the door of the tourist bus.


If you look at the whole situation from start to finish, both the hostage taker and the passengers of the tourist bus are all victims of injustice system in the country. Why you ask? Because first what provoked the hostage taker former Senior Inspector Rolando del Rosario Mendoza to do such thing is the slow movement of his case in the Ombudsman regarding charges such as robbery, robbery-extortion, grave threats and physical injuries. All the neighbors, friends, and former colleague of the ex-cop are telling people how kind he was and that he is planning to run as Barangay Captain this coming barangay elections. So what he has turned out to be last Monday is a shock to many who knew him. So it's not the media or ground commander nor the negotiator be blamed for this incident. If not for the slow movement of the case of the former cop, no 8 Chinese nationals were killed including Mendoza. The ex-cop is just seeking justice. I hope that something good will turn out after all these incident.

Let's go for the lighter side of week. August 22, all are watching and stay tuned again to their television and on the internet but not for what happened yesterday. All eyes as the beautiful ladies of 83 countries strutted their way on stage for the Miss Universe pageant. Of course with the news regarding the online poll voting, all Filipinos are excited that the country's representative Maria Venus Raj will win the title. As the top 15 were called in, excitement drew all Filipinos to stay tuned until the end of the pageant. All across the globe, people are waiting who will be crowned as Miss Universe 2010. And so the top 10 are called in, Venus Raj is among them and all Filipinos are cheering and jumping. Before Miss Venus represented our country for the Miss Universe, she had undergone some problem because of her nationality. She was born out of wedlock in Doha, Qatar but when her parents separated, she was brought to Bato, Camarines Sur in the Region of Bicol in the Eastern part of Luzon, Philippines. She went through legal matters to fight for her crown after she was declared Bb. Pilipinas-Miss Universe. The organizers of the Bb. Pilipinas said that they will return the title Bb. Pilipinas-Miss Universe to Miss Venus Raj, if she will be able to get a Philippine passport from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). After I think 3 to 5 months of undergoing legal matters, she finally got her Philippine passport and got her crown back as Bb. Pilipinas-Miss Universe and the rest is history.


As she was called in for final questioning for the Miss Universe pageant and as one of the top 10 finalists, everyone is at the edge of their seats. Judge number 2 William Baldwin, one of the foreign actors asked the question to Miss Venus, "What is the one big mistake you've made in your life and what did you do to correct it?". And Miss Venus answered "You know what, sir, in my 22 years of existence, I can say that there's nothing major, major, I mean, problem that I've done in my life because I'm very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So, thank you so much that I'm here. Thank you, thank you so much!". That lead her to 4th runner-up Miss Universe 2010. Even though Miss Mexico is the winner of the title Miss Universe 2010, Miss Venus Raj is the much talked about contestant in the said pageant.

Because of the word "Major Major" that she said, she became world wide famous as of this writing. Hmmmm... it means no big deal? bonggang bongga? Because she's nervous, she just spilled the words that came first into her mind to answer the question. I know the feeling how it is to answer a question when you are nervous.. Congrats Venus! Filipino people are proud of you! Mabuhay!

You can see her Facebook Fan page here