MERGED: Quirino Grandstand Hostage Crisis

[gpcortes07]

Aquino says sorry for the ‘smile’
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 17:23:00 08/25/2010

Filed Under: Government, Crime, Grandstand Hostage, hostage taking

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has apologized to those offended when he was caught on television apparently smiling while being interviewed at the crime scene hours after Monday’s bloody hostage-taking.

At a press conference in Malacañang, Aquino said his smile then was maybe just an "expression of exasperation rather than anything."

"My smile might have been misunderstood. I have several expressions. I smile when I'm happy, I smile when I'm faced with a very absurd situation...and if I offended certain people, I apologize to them,” he said.

"It's more of an expression maybe of exasperation rather than anything and again, I apologize if I offended certain people, who misunderstood (my) facial expression," he said.

Eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage taker—a disgruntled former police officer—were killed during the 11-hour hostage crisis.

unsa mn tawag sa kanang cge ug tingsi dba boang na cya? abnoynoynoynoynoynoynoynoynoynoynoynoynoy

smile siya kay kita ug camera.

[DarkCode]

basaha

Aquino censors Facebook page over hostage crisis bashing - *Latest news around the world and developments close to home - MSN Philippines News

hala mamili lng d,i ning Abnoy ug comment nga dawaton sa iya FB account... truth hurts mn gud...

[AnInO]

basaha

Aquino censors Facebook page over hostage crisis bashing - *Latest news around the world and developments close to home - MSN Philippines News

hala mamili lng d,i ning Abnoy ug comment nga dawaton sa iya FB account... truth hurts mn gud...

asa na ang transparency? ahah sakit maigo?

[lomotel]

hahaha tsk tsk tsk utok gamita... dle pa ginoo inyp idol ui para ma blame sa rain... haha

question unsa ramn d,i ang ato pres sa ato nga crisis? audience? if ma fail la siya labot kay naa na siya gi.assign direct responsible ato?

kung na fail ang direct resposible nga tawo kinsa d,i ang nghatag or ng.appoint atong tawhana? maayo lng lage mo daway if successfull mg.ngisi2 nya presscon pa nya karon failure to mo lihay siya?

dle nako makiglalis ui lisud pasabton ang mga fans....:P

YOu can shove this one to your shitholes..well I don't really mind if you'll get sore on blaming the president until 2016. I'll just grab some popcorn on the sides. I rest my case.

Behind the scene

At a news briefing aired live on government television and radio early Tuesday, Mr. Aquino said he deliberately stayed out of the public eye during the crisis because he was working behind the scenes.

He monitored developments initially in Malacañang but “toward the end” of the crisis, he went out to meet with Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and police officials at a restaurant close to the hostage site in Manila, according to Carandang.

“We don’t need to publicize what we have been doing because one of the hardest parts of this day was controlling the kibitzers,” the President said at the briefing when asked why it took him so long to come out and face the nation.

He said he had to call up Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo for instance so the latter could convey to an official from the National Police Commission (Napolcom) “to keep quiet” and stop issuing statements about the demands made by Mendoza in exchange for the release of the hostages at that time.

The Napolcom commissioner, whom the President did not identify, had said things that in effect “shut the door to negotiations” and thus, the latter was “complicating the tense situation,” Mr. Aquino said.

The President said that at the time he wanted the ground commander assigned to deal with the crisis to be able to do his job without the help of “somebody looking over his shoulder and micro-managing everything the he has to do.”

[DarkCode]

YOu can shove this one to your shitholes..well I don't really mind if you'll get sore on blaming the president until 2016. I'll just grab some popcorn on the sides. I rest my case.

haha cge padauna na pgpraise sa imo idol.. hahaha...

wow behind dah scene.. ilara ang iya mga fans................................

[robo0808]

Why is he smiling while visiting the crime scene? Kalain bya tan-awon.

[Hat Trick]

kalagot man tan awon tong mga pictures sa mga police oi..badshot kau..

[DarkCode]

Hong Kong's Filipino community, which includes legions of vulnerable domestic helpers, Wednesday voiced fears of retribution following the bloody end to a hostage drama in Manila.

The main Filipino labour union said there had been at least one sacking of a maid by a Hong Kong employer angry over the siege in which an ex-policeman seized a busload of Hong Kong tourists on Monday.

The hijacking triggered a 12-hour standoff that ended in a bloodbath following a chaotic assault on the bus by Philippine police, leaving eight Hong Kong tourists dead.

"This (sacking) is directly related to this incident," Eman Villanueva, vice chairman of the Filipino Migrant Workers' Union, told a news conference without giving further details.

There are as many as 200,000 Filipinos living in the southern Chinese city, the vast majority of them female maids working for low wages, and some have complained of being threatened or harassed, labour groups said.

"(Helpers) can be sacked without explanation under Hong Kong labour law," Elizabeth Tang, chief executive of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, told reporters.

"That's why we're worried about people venting their anger and frustration against domestic helpers."

Several protests have been held at the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong since Monday, with some angry activists shouting at diplomatic staff.

About 70,000 people have signed on to a Facebook page set up by the Hong Kong government for citizens to mourn the hostage victims. Many of the messages are respectful. But the Internet is also awash with abuse of Filipinos.

"I have already told my Filipino maid to find another job. I have decided to hire a local Hong Kong granny or a new immigrant from mainland China to be my domestic helper," Angel Hong wrote on the Facebook memorial page.

Raine Kan wrote: "I will never again go to the Philippines. I will also ask my children and grandchildren not to go to this country!!!"

Donald Tsang, Hong Kong's chief executive, has called for unity, saying the city's Filipino residents "share our sorrow and frustration".

The South China Morning Post said retribution against Filipinos was misplaced and "smacks of racism".

"They are as much innocent bystanders to the tragedy as we are and deserve to be treated as such," the daily said in an editorial.

Labour leaders heaped criticism on the handling of the crisis by the Philippine authorities and took aim at some comments made by President Benigno Aquino.

"Filipino migrant workers here share the Hong Kong people's shock and dismay at how poorly the crisis situation was handled," said Dolores Balladares, chairwoman of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong community group.

"Some of President Aquino's statements immediately after the incident lacked sensitivity and sensibility. Instead of pointing to poor crisis management, he compared it to other tragic hostage-taking in Russian and Germany," she said.

"These insensitive comments do not help in healing the wounds and to assure the Hong Kong people."

Aquino's own Facebook page has been swamped with angry comments, from barbs against bungling policemen to calls for him to quit.

The president appealed Wednesday for a halt to the government bashing, and his government is preparing to send a delegation to explain the hostage crisis in full to Hong Kong authorities.

Union leader Villanueva cast doubt on whether Manila's promised probe into the incident would be objective.

"We hope so but we're not particularly sure they'll be objective."

Hong Kong Filipinos fear hostage backlash - *Latest news around the world and developments close to home - MSN Philippines News

[blackheart73]

YOu can shove this one to your shitholes..well I don't really mind if you'll get sore on blaming the president until 2016. I'll just grab some popcorn on the sides. I rest my case.

sus bya kning gihimo sa ginikanan sa motel nya unsa may resulta anang iya gbuhat sa behind d scenes?

continued media coverage,8 dead, smiling president,& ignored hk governor. hay bastosa ug baba jd oi saunz klaro mn sayop si pnoy mao ipaagi lng pamalikas.

[blackheart73]

Why is he smiling while visiting the crime scene? Kalain bya tan-awon.

unsa nlang kha smile ana adtong hacienda luisita massacre sa?