Posted by Chester on Oct 19, '07 6:41 PM for everyone
Being far away from home, you'd always want to hear news about good ol Manila. But as an overseas Filipino, one dreads seeing it on CNN or BBC since it always means bad news. That's exactly what happened this morning, I turned my TV to the my usual fill of BBC news and I was horrified to hear about the bombing about Glorietta 2. Although the investigation is still ongoing, somehow all evidence points out to a terrorists bombing. Somehow we've been numbed about things like these happening down south in an airport or a local market.
But the fact that it hit one of the country's premiere shopping district is disturbing, if not extremely alarming. I've always been asked by our guests here if it's safe back home, and I always try to be careful with what I say. I try to tell them the truth but at the same time you tell them that there are places that one would consider "safe". Before today I could tell people that Makati was one of those places, but after this incident I'm just at a lost for words.
This incident reminds me of the time when the good people of London also became victims of terrorist bombings. Instead of calling for arms and declaring war, then Prime Minister Tony Blair actually called out for all British citizens to remain vigilant and not to cower to the cowardice acts of these misleaded uneducated individuals. To not sink to their level. To not change one's way of life, for if we succumb to these senseless barbaric acts then they have truly won. For their goal is not to simply kill a huge number of our countrymen, but to create fear to change our way of life. To terrorize a society is to instill fear, regardless of the means, may it be through the taking of lives or through a simple perceived threat.
To everyone back home, be safe. Our hearts go to the victims of the Glorietta Bombing.
