Noynoy in the Hot Seat

There's some kind of poetic symmetry to be pointed out here, with President Noynoy Aquino lamenting the people that have nothing better to do that criticize the government blindly:

Aquino appeals for unity

DAVAO DEL NORTE, Philippines – President Aquino called for unity here on Thursday, saying it was important to the country’s development. [...]

But the President lamented that instead of helping the government in solving the country’s problems, some quarters were making an issue about just anything.

"May mga tao lang po talaga na ayaw yata ng kaunlaran at lahat ng ginagawa natin ay pinupuna (There are people who do not seem to want progress, they criticize our every move)," he said.

To be fair, he's absolutely right. As I've said time and time again, the culture of cynicism in this country too often goes far beyond mere patriotic opposition-- it's damaging to the country's long term growth.

Problem is that Aquino's campaign for president was centered around positioning himself as the epitome of the type of person he is now criticizing. Despite the attempts to portray himself as the new Obama, he didn't reach the top by being a uniter. He did it by driving a wedge into the country's divisions, and claiming the biggest piece as his own.

And now, to expect anything different from his own critics? Well. Good luck with that.

Time to Mourn

I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby proclaim August 25, 2010 as a day of national mourning, in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong and the bereaved families of the slain.

A time to mourn, ok, great. But my complaint here is why do we declare a national day of mourning and lower all our flags now, when 8 Hong Kong people die, but do nothing for all the other times a bunch of Filipinos die?

• 5 soldiers killed by rebels in Agusan del Sur the same day (link)

• 9 police officers killed by the NPA in Samar on Monday (link)

• 39 passengers killed in a Benguet bus crash last week (link)

Their deaths may not have been broadcast on live TV in prime time, but that doesn't diminish the significance of the loss of life.

Are they any less deserving of our sympathy? Or are Filipino lives simply not worth as much to the government of the Philippines?

Bus Drama

Now, about this Rolando Mendoza guy.

Show him no mercy, make no attempt to romanticize his story, do not paint him as a martyr. No one who hijacks a busload of innocent people and sprays them with bullets deserves a good word in their eulogy. He's an embarassment to the Filipino people, and the whole human race for that matter. I was so pleased to hear that his journey ended with a sniper's bullet straight through the head.

Make no mistake, this story's ending was tragic, and the reports in the coming days will shed light on what really happened that day and what should have been done better. But personally I'd prefer we don't belittle the heroism and courage of the men who risked their lives to save 17 of the 25 passengers on that bus.