Where was President Noynoy Aquino on August 23? What did he do?

In their feeble attempts to cover all bases and show that the President was on top of the situation, Malacanang Palace alternately said he was near Quirino Grandstand (at Emerald Restaurant) purportedly to monitor the goings-on, and that he later was in a huddle with the officials of the Philippine National Police, the Department of Interior and Local Government and the city government of Manila.

The President waited until after 12:00 midnight before speaking in a press conference. His statement was good, but his appearance before the press, while already very late into the night, totally missed in capturing the people’s state and feeling of shock, shame and grief.

Asked by a journalist if the Philippines should apologize or say sorry to the government and people of Hong Kong, the President misheard the question and answered wrongly.

I think it is not too much to expect and demand that the President of the Philippines commiserate and sympathize with the victims and all those affected, including all people of the Philippines and Hong Kong, in a solemn and credible manner. (We didn’t catch the President reading his statement over at government station NBN and the privately-owned stations ABS-CBN, GMA and TV5 did not bother to air the actual presidential statement as well. The stations only started their broadcast when he was already answering a volley of questions from journalists who waited the whole day before the President bothered to face the nation).   

It would have been better had the President just interrupted all TV and radio programming at 10:00 pm to deliver his message straight from his working desk and thereby dispensed with the press conference. 

Those who were able to follow all or most of the events yesterday were all expecting the President to talk tough on what transpired, to announce a sweeping investigation, and order the relief of the ground commander and the Manila Police District chief. Instead, the President reassured the involved authorities of “presumption of innocence” and signaled the start of a possible assault on the right of journalists to do their work of covering similar events, like legislated news blackouts.

The President appears misinformed about the role played by media in yesterday’s events. Based on accounts and reports by journalists, the ground commander issued no order for a news blackout. Neither was there any attempt to expand the police line or check crowd control. No one bothered to stop journalists, onlookers and unauthorized personnel from entering and violating the crime scene. 

If there was anyone monitoring the situation as broadcast on television and on the ground, it was apparent that authorities were not following Police Operational Procedures on hostage situations. But no authorities higher than the ground commander bothered to correct the situation at several junctures. When the hostage-taker’s brother was being forcefully arrested, an incident that would most surely agitate Roland Mendoza – and it sure did – the authorities did not do anything and alongside them, we watched in horror how the situation spiraled into violence and displays of absolute incompetence.   

This is not to say the media is immaculately clean from accountability. Many were stunned by the pornographic live video feed beamed nationwide and worldwide when the editors and executives could have ordered a 10 or 15 minute broadcasting delay. In many instances, the journalists showed on video and described in detail via audio the location and movements of authorities around the hijacked bus. In another instance, journalists were heard laughing amid the terrifying situation. Indeed, August 23 was not the brightest day for responsibility in Philippine journalism and broadcasting as well. 

But to even imply that the media may have made matters worse and thereby exculpate the authorities who failed to provide competent leadership during the situation is a different matter altogether.

Sticking to protocol, the President also appeared to have refused frantic calls from Donald Tsang, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, leading the latter to complain about it before the Hong Kong and world press. Instead, the President had Foreign Affairs Sec. Alberto Romulo call his counterpart in Beijing and also Mr. Tsang to extend the government’s condolences and provide updates on the situation.

The incident being very extraordinary, Mr. Aquino might have done better had he received the call from Mr. Tsang who only wanted to know the status of his people directly from him as the President of Philippines.

Today, the people of the Philippines still bear a heavy heart over the incident, grieving with the people of Hong Kong and for ourselves. Many who have relatives working in the former Crown Colony and in China worry about the possible social and economic repercussions of the hostage crisis.

We wonder if the President would do the same in the next flashpoint of his presidency and be as confused as he was yesterday.