It has been weeks since my last post here on blogspot. Many things happened (both good and bad). Anyway, that is part of life. What is important is that we take every obstacle positively.
On a personal level, I feel so stressed, disappointed and burned out in connection with my performance in the preliminary examinations. The first semester of 3rd year is the most difficult so far. I also felt that I was not at my best while answering my examination booklets. Perhaps, the MCQs (which stands for multiple choice questions) contributed to the not-so-good results.
But I am a fighter. I will embrace this as part of my training. I will bounce back and pray more.
What is more disappointing is the recent hostage-taking incident that happened a week ago. It is sad that one member of our police force lost his cool because of a pending case before the Office of the Ombudsman. What is worse is the way the police handled their operations. The aftermath is both a tragedy and an embarrassment because many lives were taken and we are on the international spotlight once again.
All of us are well-informed about how the incident occurred. The important thing here is how we should reflect on this. I will not make any suggestion on the procedural and legal aspects because that is being addressed already. Instead, I would like to express my sentiment as a citizen.
I believe that this should be viewed holistically. Rolando Mendoza did what he did because of a pending case. This reflects on the kind of persons who are occupying positions in the police force and even in the civilian offices. If somebody commits a wrongdoing, he will not try to be answerable using the legal processes. Instead, he will attempt to use other means to be absolved from liability. He will not rely on the merits of his case. In its place, violence or other corrupt means will be utilized.
On the other hand, it could also be viewed as a manifestation of distrust in our institutions. It could be that Mendoza is innocent but some high ranking officials are pushing his back against the wall. People tend to do radical things and even dangerous methods to let others know of one's grievances. An example would be the Oakwood mutiny involving men also in uniform (they are soldiers).
Well, the bottomline is the problem lies on personal and institutional corruption. Personal because Captain Mendoza was not able to use his moral and mental capacity in order to weigh the consequences of his acts. Institutional, on the other hand, because this incident reflected a high level of distrust, anomalies and blatant incompetence in our institutions. As a result, the national dignity and honor are once again jeopardized.
This is a wake up call this Heroes' Day. This is a challenge for us to eradicate the evils within us so that we will not be able to infect others. The motives of Mendoza was personal. But what he did had local and international impact.
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