To the Hongkong and PRC People

[cheboyakoa]

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FORWARDED MESSAGE... WUD LIKE TO SHARE

To the Hongkong and PRC People,

You hate the Filipino people for the hostage fiasco that unfortunate incident that went out of control at the end. This was a hostage situation that was under control and which netted 7 Chinese tourists to be released upon the efforts of our policemen.
You appear and sound sanctimonious and have even stepped upon our sovereignty. You have demanded apology, the moon and the heavens. You hate the Filipino people as if we wanted this unfortunate incident to happen.
First and foremost, we offer our condolences to the families of the 8 that were killed in this incident. Secondly, we are sorry for the bungled handling of this hostage taking. It was unfortunate, it was an accident, we never planned it that way. Is it fair to blame a whole nation for a situation that was never planned?
Let me ask you this question, "Should we hate you also for the lead poisoning caused by the paint you used in your baby furniture and toys for the children of the world, Should we hate you also for the use of cardboard in the "siopao" that you sell to tourists? Should we hate you also for the melamine contamination wherein not 8, but hundreds, maybe even thousands have suffered and some even died?
Or, let us talk of Filipino casualties. A few years ago, 3 Filipino tourists, all surnamed Madrigal, a family of 5 were walking on Tienemen Square and Beijing. One Chinese stabbed the father and two of his children, killing all three. Were you even sorry for what this one Chinese did? Did the Filipino people even demand that China apologized for this unfortunate incident. This was PRE-MEDITATED MURDER.
Just as the use of lead, cardboard, melamine was pre-meditated - used because they were cheaper materials, in order to generate PROFITS for the Chinese businessman. Did you pay damages the same way you are demanding damages from the Filipino nation and people.

Where was the anger of the Chinese and Hongkong people? Did you even apologize to the world? My God in the case of melamine, you even kept this information from the world, until you were exposed for what you are!!!
Enough! We sympathize but don't blame the Filipino people.

So you want to send our OFWs home, that take care of your children? They play an important part in your lives. Both spouses are able to work, earn money because of the tender loving care being heaped on your children by Filipino maids and yayas/amahs. While you pay our OFWs for the work they do, you earn more for the love and care they bestow on your children. Go ahead, send our OFWs home.
Let us see how that will affect your family incomes.

Enough!

[nsvc902]

Amen to that !!!

Unsa kaha ang masulti sa mga Chinese ani nga naa sa HK ug mainland. So solly !!

[FranZeno]

ironic kaau sah? tsktsktsktsk.. =(

[Jaggernought]

That is how we should defy the surge of emotions.

[RMK711]

Unsa man ni typical pinoy attitude blaming others in order to deflect responsibility? How clueless is this. First you are lumping all people of HK as one. They aren't firing maids left and right, there are a few that do, but they are still hiring pinay maids. Next, you misunderstood why they are pissed off, it's not that the incident happened but because the handling of the incident was completely botched PLUS the insensitive acts of our leaders. Did the Chinese president smile after the so-called hacking incident at tiananmen square? Third, HK is not China. They are under one country two systems, but the law states that HK is to be considered a separate autonomous entity that runs its own affairs. Fourth, China did in fact take immediate action after the melamine scandal, and many people were put to death or prison because of that. Now, how many police have been put to death or in prison because of the hostage situation. In fact, why wasn't the criminal Mendoza put in prison when he was accused of two criminal offenses already?

Get your facts straight before you engage in misplaced nationalism. You seem to think that if they let all the maids go home, they will suffer more than we will. Don't be crazy. They will just hire maids from Indonesia.

Last but not least, mods should lock this because 1- it's racist bullshit, and 2- theres already a bus hijacking thread and should have been posted there.

[pawikan]

From the Australian. The writer’s style may seem harsh to some, but to me, it’s the style that fits, and it’s all said like it should be:

Emma-Kate Symons
September 03, 2010

THE Philippines, faced with global shame and humiliation after the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists because of its spectacularly inept handling of the Manila hostage crisis, is doing what is does so well: playing the victim.

A week of breast-beating and emotional mea culpas has given way to angry defensiveness. The sullen collective reflex in the aftermath of this embarrassing confirmation of all the worst stereotypes of The Philippines as a lawless, chaotic nation of rank incompetents is to play the nationalist anti-Chinese card in reaction to the fury of Hong Kong, where 80,000 rallied this week demanding answers after the fiasco.

International experts in hostage dramas said the police response during the 12-hour stand-off was wrong on multiple fronts, including inadequate equipment and training; failing to seal off the siege area from media and public view (one bystander was injured by a stray bullet); failing to quickly satisfy the gunman’s demands; and bringing in his brother to negotiate

Heaping insult upon outrage, Philippines police and “gore tourists” were shown on social media sites smiling in happy snaps in front of the bloodied and shattered tourist bus that became the tomb of entire families on holiday in Manila last week.

The driver of the bus, suspected of having been in cahoots with the hostage taker – disgruntled former police captain Rolando Mendoza – has gone missing with his family, in another example of police incapacity to carry out their most basic tasks.

Most appallingly, Mendoza enjoyed national hero status, his coffin draped in the Philippines flag at his funeral attended by more than a thousand mourners.

A swag of opinion makers and columnists, parliamentarians and Filipinos writing on blogs and social media are turning the whole drama, Philippines-style, into a kitsch telenovella tragedy where they are unjustly suffering from Chinese bullying and arrogance, following the cancellation of official visits and the souring of diplomatic relations.

The histrionics are drowning out the minority calling for a calm, clear-eyed look at the rottenness at the core of The Philippines’ police, government and media.

Not enough voices are decrying a sick public culture that banalises violence and murder, applauds the armed and dangerous macho men who try to take on the “system”, and prefers the beauty pageant circus of Miss Philippines reaching the top 15 of Miss Universe to a wholesale examination of the national conscience, and concrete steps to prevent such a tragedy happening again.

Currying populist favour, senator Kiko Pangalinan said while he did not personally agree with the swathing of Mendoza’s casket in the national flag, “there is no law that explicitly bans the use of the flag in such a manner, and therefore we will have to respect the individual freedoms of our people”.

Just to hammer home the oft-noted “cultural differences” between The Philippines, a Christian country with democratic aspirations, and godless, authoritarian China, he added:

“We ask for China’s understanding in that we live under different systems, and what may be prohibited and banned in their nation may not be so in ours.”

The senator echoed widespread Filipino justifications of the widespread callousness towards the dead and injured as their Christian culture of “accepting God’s will” and moving on.

Columnist William Esposo in The Philippine Star went further, saying: “China should be the last to posture as if they hold a candle to us when it comes to preventing tragedies”, and recalling the 2005 murder of Philippines businessman Emmanuel Madrigal and his daughter by an axe-wielding madman in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

“Did a Chinese official apologise to the Madrigal family, The Philippines government or the Filipino people for their failure to protect Filipino tourists in one of the most visited sites in their capital? Where, then, do they get the gall and the temerity to disrespect us and our President due to a similar incident?

“How come our media pander to all these violations of protocol, baseless attacks and arrogance of Chinese officials? Have our media been secretly bought by the Chinese for them to espouse the Chinese line like this?”

Yesterday, a story in the leading Manila newspaper The Inquirer – headlined “Enough already” – pointed out that while “we ask forgiveness and condole with the Hong Kong families” and await the Aquino administration investigation, “we now say enough to the breast-beating.

“We are in solidarity with the women and men who offer prayers . . . but we see no point in prostrating ourselves further, or in insulting The Philippines government as though in a continuing kowtow. We will not be forced into a sackcloth-and-ashes pose.”

Such hogwash, redolent of familiar fatalistic, dolourist distortions of Catholic notions of sin and personal responsibility, is once again allowing a societal head-in-the-sand mentality to prevail in a nation that thinks saying sorry many times should be enough.

The reactions to the televised crisis have been severe, with immediate cancellations of thousands of hotel bookings and package tours to island getaway Boracay.

Aware that he is hemorrhaging credibility and authority so soon after his euphoric inauguration, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino has pleaded with the press and police to “shut up” and stop offending the Chinese.

But the defiant reaction in The Philippines is to turn its back on reality and take refuge in economic patriotism and racist nationalism.

It is quite a feat and will certainly do nothing but long-term damage to this troubled nation.

===========

Note from poster: The writing is on the wall. Shame on us if we don’t heed.

Source: http://antipinoy.com/filipinos-wrongly-on-defensive/

[FranZeno]

...but this thread is adding salt and vinegar to a healing wound!!! /facepalm

[Romeojin]

i agree with RMK, lock na ni. this thread just incite racism beside the target of this post are Hong Kong and PRC people. HK government already assured no backlash and seriously its hard to replaced our english speaking domestic helper.

what happened with the Madrigals is an unfortunate incident they were victim of crime. Chinese government and police cannot save them, but they did put the mad man to death few weeks later. sa Quirino bus hostage lain gyud ang case kay naa pa mahimo ang gobyerno ug police adto and take note live adto globally. the madrigal case is only comparable to the foreign victim of crime here in the philipppines. daghan pud bya nangamatay na foreigners here noh esp mga foreign businessmen.

[brandnewbien]

why dont you just stop the hate =(

[pawikan]

It is indeed wrong for anyone from Hongkong or PRC to blame all Filipinos and take their anger out on Filipina domestic helpers. But it is just as wrong for any Filipino to stereotype all Hongkong and PRC people and blame all of them for the melamine fiasco, etc.

Take it from a hostage survivor herself. If she can have understanding and compassion after everything she's been through, why can't we?

Lee Ying Chuen: Give justice to the victims, Not direct anger at the weak. August 29, 2010. (Excerpt)

"After returning to Hong Kong, I learned that there had been quite a bit of anti-Philippines talk in Hong Kong over the past several days. On the Internet, someone proposed revenge by sending all Filipina domestic helpers home so that their country would plunge into economic hardship. I learned that Filipina domestic helpers were insulted in the streets, with the Philippines being referred to as the "nation of slaves" and the "nation of servants." I can understand that the citizens are incredibly angry with the Philippines government and police. I feel the same way myself. But what has this got to do with the people of the Philippines?

Have we forgotten what it feels like to be discriminated against? Hong Kong was a colonized society for a long time, with the Chinese being discriminated against by the so-called "masters" within the system and their daily lives. But now some Hong Kong people turn around to speak like slave-owners that "We hired so many Filipinas so we are their bosses" and "it was an act of benevolence to hire you so how dare you offend your superiors" against the Filipina domestic helpers who had nothing whatsoever to do with the Manila hostage incident itself. This is just appalling.

The Filipina domestic helpers are the victims of their incompetent government, which was unable to provide a decent living for its people. That is why so many Filipinas have to leave their families. They work to take care of other's children while leaving their own children behind. So why should the Filipina domestic helpers in Hong Kong serve as the scapegoats of their incompetent government? Why are some Hong Kong people angry but also being racist?

Even more incomprehensibly, the Hong Kong government has just announced at this time that the wages of all domestic helpers (including Filipinas) will continue to be frozen. This means that the foreign domestic helpers cannot share the fruits of the economic recovery. Is our government exploiting the situation? Would the government care to tell us about their standards and system for determining wage levels for foreign domestic helpers? Their actions right now carry the impression that the government wants to punish the foreign domestic helpers. This is no help towards relieving anti-Philippines sentiments. A friend quoted the words of Lu Xun: When the brave become angry, they draw their knives at those even stronger; when the meek become angry, they draw their knives at those even weaker. Do the people of Hong Kong only know to draw their knives against the weak?

Over the past several days, Hong Kong has been both angry and sad over this Manila hostage incident. Although I have not discussed with other team members, I am sure that we are grateful for the concern and support of the citizens. But the way to comfort the souls of the dead is not to blame the innocent Filipina domestic helpers and the people of the Philippines. Our focus should be clearly on the Philippines government and its police. We want a fair and proper investigation. We want to an account of the responsibility in the incident. We want to provide for the future of the injured persons as well as the families of the deceased. This is how we show our concern for the casualties in this incident.

In the long run, we should support the people of the Philippines to build a more trustworthy government and a more just society. This is how Hong Kong truly becomes a member of the international community and a cosmopolitan city with humanitarian concerns."


Full text at EastSouthWestNorth: The First-Person Account Of A Manila Hostage Survivor