Once upon a time, SED Chronicle was our newsletter in the College of Teacher Education where Teacher's teacher is a faculty member. Not much happened since its last issue because the passion that used to feed the editorial board just succumbed to indifference.
Then August 23, 2010, a certain Rolando Mendoza held hostage tourists from Hongkong. He used this bus to become a vehicle of airing his grievance against the Ombudsman that ordered him to be relieved of his job after almost 23 years, 2 years short before his retirement. He wanted the Ombudsman to reinstate him before he would decide to call his life quits with what seemed good and carry his demand to his grave. Now his story is a story that could have landed in some or you tube for the world to respond to his plea.
This was the context when Teacher's teacher mustered enough strength to give birth to SeeTeachersChron. Already the website has begun and awaits your comments and/or articles or features.
Hostage taking began with hitch ride but ended with many deaths in a bus parked in front of Quirino grandstand
0 comments Posted by Malaybalay Blogger at 8:48 AMMendoza's tragic life gives us a glimpse of what a desperate person is capable of doing to be heard. He was a policeman for three decades - received recognition through the many years of service. Unfortunately , he became embroiled with corruption and so his career ended with all the benefits due him denied him. This was the whole point of his despair - robbery extortion case that ended his career. He wanted to understand why the Ombudsman came to this decision.
Without going into the details, there remains a person in pain, someone who may not be in his proper frame of mind, a person who wants to know why his benefits that come after many years of service will no longer be his and his family's.
This kind of disbelief has bearing when you know of many cases that involve millions only the players are big names in politics or upper echelon in society. Up to now the cases are never filed and so they remain free as free can be. Sorry Mendoza, you are caught!
The other side of the violent scenario are the hostages who came to our country as tourists - tourists. Now Hongkong has labelled our country black - tourist spot. You can almost sense the repercussions this will have for our Filipinos working in Hongkong, many of whom are domestic helpers.
When things are said and done - life goes on and we ask who will follow Mendoza's strategy: hitch ride, announce that it is hostage - taking when one's life is at stake, shield himself with the hostages ultimately death of those who are caught in the crossfire - and death of the hostage-taker.
Now we, the audience who saw the drama unfold on tv, are still asking ourselves and Mendoza: was it worth it?
