Mendoza: The Story Behind The Story

The ghost of the Quirino Grandstand Hostage taking still haunts the entire Filipino community; everyone is still in a state of shock and disbelief over what unfolded before the entire world last Monday. Accusations, criticisms and a handful of unwanted opinions are thrown everywhere as everyone is thrust in a state of pandemonium. I am gravely disappointed not only by the entire tragedy but also by how shallowly people are looking at it. Yes, the media and the police force are partly to blame and yes, of course, the hostage taker is at fault but I think that it’s unreasonable to blame it solely on them. Individuals reflect what kind of society they live in. Last Monday was the grand unveiling of our society’s image and the whole world stood still, forced to watch as our audience. Wouldn’t it be rash and unjust to think that the hostage taking done was just for kicks? According to The Philippine Star, over a hundred people turned up last Sunday to bury former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza who took with him his story of hero turned villain as he was laid to rest. According to the reporters of the newspaper, a vast number of people from Mendoza’s community, many of whom are his friends took part in taking Mendoza to his final resting place because they believed that Mendoza was a good man pressured only because of the periled well-being of his family. According to the media, Rolando Mendoza’s frustration began when he was left jobless, removed from his job for a reason, that to him, was insufficient. His patience was further strained when his appeal letters were continuously neglected by the authorities he was seeking help from. Being unemployed in a poverty stricken land with a family to support were conditions that just weren’t acceptable to him.  And thus, with the patience of a normal man finally pushed to the limits and shattered by the realization of the possibility of his family’s starvation and his apathetic society, the Quirino Grandstand Hostage taking was born and the heart of a hero was stained. Mendoza was indeed guilty for putting innocent lives in danger but can we really blame him for wanting security and better life for his family?  Can each and every one of us really say that we wouldn’t do the same thing if we are put under the same circumstances?  It was a deed done by a desperate person living in desperate times. The recent tragedy showed a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, it showed how a disoriented society affected a man and how that disoriented man affected his society.