Why Aquino must offer apologies for Luneta

The Hong Kong lawmakers’ vote to cancel the Filipinos’ visa-free access to Hong Kong is clearly a move to show contempt for President Aquino’s refusal to apologize for the death of eight Hong Kong tourists held hostage inside a bus in Rizal Park in 2010.

We who followed the incident on TV were witness to our local police officials’ seemingly weak and amateurish response to the crisis. That was one incident when we showed the world our ineptness in handling situations where human lives are at stake.

As the highest official of the land, President Aquino should have exercised “command responsibility” and right away apologized to the family of the victims and to Hong Kong authorities. His refusal to apologize because it was not the fault of the Philippine government that the incident happened but that of one man, the hostage-taker, shows that the President is narrow-minded, unsympathetic and cold.

Apologizing and admitting one’s shortcomings or mistakes are not a sign of weakness but of humility. Let’s face it. Those tourists would not have died if only government had made the right move. I pray that President Aquino would consider the consequences of his refusal, especially its adverse effect on our relationship with Hong Kong.

—THERESA PILI-NISPEROS,

Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila