Let there be peace

Let there be peace.

Let hatred not spread.

It was already a tragedy for a former policeman to have turned into a gunman who shot civilians.

It was heartbreaking enough to see innocent travelers dying and being injured, and families losing their beloved members.

We do not need more obscenities of people hurling insults to each other.

As we blame Philippine policemen who were sent to the deadly scene unprepared, apparently ill-trained and without proper tools, some even not wearing a flak jacket and a helmet, think of it: Don’t they also have families as the victims do?

Aren’t they also victims of a corrupt government, which has failed to provide them with appropriate training and equipments?

If we had a family member whose work required him to fight an armed hijacker with such minimal protection for himself, would we have reacted in the same way as we do now?

True, the professional Hong Kong police might have put the situation under control in a few minutes. That is because we live in a blessed place.

I may be too optimistic, but let’s hope this horrible incident will exert pressure on those in power in the Philippines to revamp their governance under international watch.

Let’s hope those who lost their lives in this mayhem rest in peace, and those who survive live bravely thereafter.