A Letter From A Teenage Filipino To The Whole World

[stef]

this can be found on youscoop.tvA letter from a teenage Filipino to the WHOLE WORLDAs you are reading this letter, I bet that you have seen/heard about what happened earlier in our country. Tourists were hostages of a policeman here, Rolando Mendoza. After a few hours of the horrible crime, some of the victims were dead including the hostage-taker. I wrote this letter not just to apologize but also to let everyone know that we Filipinos are not all like Mendoza. We are loving and good-hearted people. For so many years, our country has been standing tall and surpassing every dilemma; be it small or big. Years ago (back when I wasn’t born yet), you have watched us fight for what we think is right. We fought for the democracy of our nation.. The EDSA revolution. But that’s just one out of many. Second. We Filipinos have been serving other countries for our families and we treat you as our own as well. With all due respect, I thank you all for giving us the trust through the years. For helping us to become what we are now. The Philippines is more than just a group of islands. We are a nation of strong and remarkable people. A country of beauty and love known to be hospitable and well-valued. I humbly apologize for what happened tonight. No one in this world would want something like that to happen for life should be valued. I politely ask the attention of the world. Please do not judge and mistreat us just because of what happened tonight. I have been searching the net and found terrible things. Hong Kong advices to avoid travels here, China and HK bans Filipinos and that Philippines is the worst place to go. I can’t blame you for what you have decided but I hope that you could understand. Our country is now in a sea of problems. And I know for sure that we helped you in a way or another. Let peace and understanding reign this time. I know that this letter will just be trash but I wish that you would understand. On behalf of the Philippine population.. WE ARE SORRY. As a song puts it… And I believe that in my life I will see an end to hopelessness, giving-up and suffering. And we all stand together this one time then no one will get left behind. Stand up for life. STAND UP FOR LOVE Sincerely yours, Reigno Jose Dilao Reigno Jose Dilao | 2010-08-23 | 150 http://www.youscoop.tv/scoop/14285/a-letter-from-a-teenage-filipino-to-the-whole-world

[ekimswish]

After the immediate victims of the hostage killings, the next victims are the Filipinos living in Hong Kong, IMO. Having spent time in HK and Taiwan, I know the Chinese really look down on Filipinos and resent them for some reason. I've heard of different reasons, be it skin color, regional politics/economics, or because they're seen as lowly maids; but the Hong Kong citizen who hated and mistreated Filipinos BEFORE this incident, is really going to take it to them now, I fear. Maybe I'm wrong, and a more loving and forgiving Hong Kong characteristic will emerge, but I can imagine a lot of Filipinos being threatened and insulted in Hong Kong in the next week or so. That's who I feel bad for in all of this, aside from the families of the victims. When I hear about Hong Kong's anger over this and the protests going on outside the Philippine consulate, I wish I could tell them to "flip" off. Because after the Filipinos stuck in Hong Kong, the third set of victims are the poor Filipinos who have to deal with the inadequacies of the hostage dealings on a daily basis. They're not denied justice once in a blue moon during a freak, isolated, incident: they're denied justice everyday. Now, not only will they be denied justice, but they'll be blamed for it as well. Maybe I've got a chip on my shoulder with Hong Kongers, and if so, my bad. But I've seen how they frown on Filipinos, and I can only hope the best for them.I understand how they might feel bad about it. But this isn't a case where the local police gave them a lesser treatment than they would give local hostages. This is a case where some first world citizens visited a third world country, and worst case scenario happened.

Edited August 25, 2010 by ekimswish

[Jake]

this can be found on youscoop.tvA letter from a teenage Filipino to the WHOLE WORLDAs you are reading this letter, I bet that you have seen/heard about what happened earlier in our country. Tourists were hostages of a policeman here, Rolando Mendoza. After a few hours of the horrible crime, some of the victims were dead including the hostage-taker. I wrote this letter not just to apologize but also to let everyone know that we Filipinos are not all like Mendoza. We are loving and good-hearted people. For so many years, our country has been standing tall and surpassing every dilemma; be it small or big. Years ago (back when I wasn’t born yet), you have watched us fight for what we think is right. We fought for the democracy of our nation.. The EDSA revolution. But that’s just one out of many. Second. We Filipinos have been serving other countries for our families and we treat you as our own as well. With all due respect, I thank you all for giving us the trust through the years. For helping us to become what we are now. The Philippines is more than just a group of islands. We are a nation of strong and remarkable people. A country of beauty and love known to be hospitable and well-valued. I humbly apologize for what happened tonight. No one in this world would want something like that to happen for life should be valued. I politely ask the attention of the world. Please do not judge and mistreat us just because of what happened tonight. I have been searching the net and found terrible things. Hong Kong advices to avoid travels here, China and HK bans Filipinos and that Philippines is the worst place to go. I can’t blame you for what you have decided but I hope that you could understand. Our country is now in a sea of problems. And I know for sure that we helped you in a way or another. Let peace and understanding reign this time. I know that this letter will just be trash but I wish that you would understand. On behalf of the Philippine population.. WE ARE SORRY. As a song puts it… And I believe that in my life I will see an end to hopelessness, giving-up and suffering. And we all stand together this one time then no one will get left behind. Stand up for life. STAND UP FOR LOVE Sincerely yours, Reigno Jose Dilao Reigno Jose Dilao | 2010-08-23 | 150 http://www.youscoop....the-whole-world

Not bad coming from a young Filipino teenager. His essay is well written, apologetic witha little bit of history. Thank you Stef for sharing.Respectfully -- Jake

[Inspector]

I don't think any country is exempt from the crazed person...the hostage takers, serial killers, or any other twisted mind. Nor do I feel any more unsafe in the PI because of this isolated lunatic.The issue most have are how the they handled it. To suggest a non travel warning to the PI, as China is doing...well, that is far more amusing and ignorant then the actual handling of the lone lunatic by the PNP.

[ekimswish]

To suggest a non travel warning to the PI, as China is doing...well, that is far more amusing and ignorant then the actual handling of the lone lunatic by the PNP.

It is and it isn't. If the reason they issue a non-travel ban is because they don't feel safe, then that's stupid. But if it's to put tourist dollar pressure on the PI government to step up it's protection of tourists and/or general citizenry, then maybe it's not such a bad idea. If the Philippines recovers from this mess by stepping up its training and equipping of officers, and redeems itself in a future hostage situation with locals or foreigners, then maybe the diplomatic slap in the face would be worth it. I doubt, however, that that's the real reason for a travel ban either. Most likely, HK and Chinese leadership will use this situation as leverage in future economic or political dealings. Doh!

[Inspector]

To suggest a non travel warning to the PI, as China is doing...well, that is far more amusing and ignorant then the actual handling of the lone lunatic by the PNP.

It is and it isn't. If the reason they issue a non-travel ban is because they don't feel safe, then that's stupid. But if it's to put tourist dollar pressure on the PI government to step up it's protection of tourists and/or general citizenry, then maybe it's not such a bad idea. If the Philippines recovers from this mess by stepping up its training and equipping of officers, and redeems itself in a future hostage situation with locals or foreigners, then maybe the diplomatic slap in the face would be worth it. I doubt, however, that that's the real reason for a travel ban either. Most likely, HK and Chinese leadership will use this situation as leverage in future economic or political dealings. Doh!

Very good point. I really could not understand what the purpose of this could be as I can't see blaming a single nut being they are all over the world. Hell, remember that Chinese guy that ate some Canadian in a bus up in Canada...hacked his head off, carried it around the bus and was eating the guy.

[Mr Lee]

After the immediate victims of the hostage killings, the next victims are the Filipinos living in Hong Kong, IMO. Having spent time in HK and Taiwan, I know the Chinese really look down on Filipinos and resent them for some reason. I've heard of different reasons, be it skin color, regional politics/economics, or because they're seen as lowly maids; but the Hong Kong citizen who hated and mistreated Filipinos BEFORE this incident, is really going to take it to them now, I fear. Maybe I'm wrong, and a more loving and forgiving Hong Kong characteristic will emerge, but I can imagine a lot of Filipinos being threatened and insulted in Hong Kong in the next week or so. That's who I feel bad for in all of this, aside from the families of the victims. When I hear about Hong Kong's anger over this and the protests going on outside the Philippine consulate, I wish I could tell them to "flip" off. Because after the Filipinos stuck in Hong Kong, the third set of victims are the poor Filipinos who have to deal with the inadequacies of the hostage dealings on a daily basis. They're not denied justice once in a blue moon during a freak, isolated, incident: they're denied justice everyday. Now, not only will they be denied justice, but they'll be blamed for it as well. Maybe I've got a chip on my shoulder with Hong Kongers, and if so, my bad. But I've seen how they frown on Filipinos, and I can only hope the best for them.I understand how they might feel bad about it. But this isn't a case where the local police gave them a lesser treatment than they would give local hostages. This is a case where some first world citizens visited a third world country, and worst case scenario happened.

First of all I think it is a good letter, but IMO as long as high up Filipinos treat their own lower socioeconomic class Filipinos like trash, I do not believe they can expect the rest of the world to do any different. I have had it happen first hand in our family where one or more of our nieces would be working as a maid and end up being treated so poorly that they end up calling my wife and begging for money to get home. One niece wrote to my wife and told her that she was forced to sleep on the bare cold tile floor in the kitchen without even a pad, and work every waking hour and when she finally became ill the boss lady got her medicine and then deducted it from her pay so that there was no money left to buy a pad or to get home. The strange thing with that lady boss was that only after she became aware that my wife was related to her employee and living in the US, did the lady boss start to treat our niece a little better and allow my wife to call and talk to our niece on the phone. So my point is just that, the rich treat their own as if they are trash, so that has to stop first and all people have to start to treat all people with respect for this world to improve.Nuts will be nuts everywhere and no one should treat Filipinos badly because of the actions of one person who went off his rocker, but some like to use any excuse they can find to treat others poorly.