The Philippine Hostage Crisis: Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

Every blogger in the Philippines will have his/her opinion of the Philippine hostage situation that tragically ended with 8 deaths. I could put in my 2 cents worth of righteous litany on how the PNP bungled the rescue efforts, but I’d rather not. Local media has that covered. What I am painfully curious about is the defeaning silence of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Vice-President Binay, and President Noynoy Aquino during the 12-hour ordeal.

Mayor Lim, who once spray-painted houses and hideouts of alleged criminals with messages that violate human rights, was not in his “Dirty Harry” self. Age must have mellowed him down so much that he could not even muster enough courage to give an official statement to appease the public.

Vice-President Binay, who always figured prominently in hostage situations back when he was Mayor of Makati, was nowhere to be found. Oh how he looked awkward in Boy Scout uniform.

President Noynoy, who was so bold and brazen in his State of the Nation address, only managed to find his voice after lives have already been sacrificed. Obviously, his spin doctors held him back. I may be alone in saying this, but I expected much more from Manuel L. Quezon III and the rest of the president’s communications group

Who did we get instead? A fumbling former actor-turned-Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno. And in CNN too. He was the inarticulate representative of the Philippines in a time when we needed someone who can make sense of the madness that had transpired. Perhaps he deserves credit for just “being there”, bad publicity notwithstanding.

The only lesson learned from this crisis is that when the chips are down, we cannot rely on our leaders to save the day because they disappear like the thieves that they truly are – robbed us of our money and our dignity as a nation.