Mayor Estrada's Apology

I just read that former Philippine President Joseph Estrada, the present Mayor of Manila, has offered to go to Hong Kong to apologize to that city for the deaths of eight of its citizens who were tourists in Manila in 2010.  The eight were killed by a hijacker when Manila officials, the then mayor Alfredo Lim in particular, grossly mishandled the attempted rescue.  According to the article by Ffloyd Whaley in the New York Times for Friday, November 2, Mr. Estrada's efforts may not be enough.  Hong Kong has demanded a national apology from the Philippines, but President Aquino has steadily refused since the killings were the act of one individual, not the country.  President Aquino will not stand in the way of Mayor Estrada's visit and formal apology, and perhaps it is most fitting that the current mayor make retribution for the former mayor's egregious behavior.

Kudos to Mayor Estrada, and perhaps his appropriate action will atone somewhat for his own past egregious behavior.  I must confess that I had not known that Mr. Estrada had been elected Mayor of Manila until reading this article.  My thoughts carried me back to 1998 when I was teaching at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Manila.  I watched Mr. Estrada's inauguration as President of the Philippines and then followed his subsequent decline and fall.  He was successfully impeached within a year and ordered to stand trial for stealing over a million dollars from the country, a capital offense there, possibly the only one.  He went to prison.  Within a few years, however, the former movie star, former president, was free.  He ran for office and was elected, I can't recall for what, but for a prominent position.  And now he is Mayor of Manila.  I know that Filipinos are famous for being forgiving, but their electing Mr. Estrada Mayor of their capital sets a new standard.  Perhaps the citizens and government of Hong Kong will imitate them.