Is it Right to Blame the Whole Nation for A mistake of 1 or 20 men?

Of course not. People who say such things are just immature and silly. (I am not Filipino by the way, and I think most people think like this. This could have happened anywhere I think)

There were many lessons learned from Typhoon Ondoy last year and PAGASA, along with many agencies have adopted long-term improvements in facilities, response etc. Sometimes, the response is woefully inadequate to a crisis and compounds perceptions. While increasing the efficiency and response capabilities and rules of engagement etc. were readily apparent as lacking I'd rather respond in another way, aside from many recent negative incidents. Promote that what is good and worthy of export around the world. This can help create balanced perceptions diba :) Eric

My teacher had always said The mistake of one is the mistake of all.

Of course not. It is not right to generalize or attribute mistake to an entire group whose only sin is to belong to said group. Unless of course their mistake was a result of some lapses in their system or as part of command responsibility. PNoy has no choice but to take ownership of the mistakes of the PNP as the head of the entire country. It's what he signed up for. But it is not right to blame ordinary citizens for the mistakes of their countrymen. If that were the case, then all Saudi nationals should be shot on sight because of Bin Laden or Germans because of Hitler.

not at all, but i am afraid there are some people who will blame a nation, a religion, a whole flipping continent, for the mistakes of a couple of people! I think what you need to remember is when people say "I hate Filipino's" they do not mean they hate every single person who lives there...or has connections there, but are generalising those events and the people involved- which I suppose in a way is understandable in a way, but unfair on the innocent people!

They could blame the authorities but not the whole nation. It is clear that Filipinos are not like the hostage taker, that is an isolated case. They are over reacting while they must remember the toy melamine that affects the other people around the world. Then are we ranting about their mistakes? Did we ask them to apologized to the whole nation? Did we also say that their country is the worst place to go?

Well I think it is but natural that they may feel a bit of hatred with us since many foreigners do not understand our situation. I think we were like that when Flor contemplacion was executed in Singapore several decades ago I think. We almost hated Singapore for not allowing Flor from being repatriated and given forgiveness and got her executed in Singapore as they have implemented their laws of their land. Now take that with our situation about 8 Chinese nationals were summarily executed without just cause at all because of incompetence of some of our men in arms during the negotiations. What do you think as a citizen of China would feel of course hatred would come out since their fellow citizens where the ones hurt and killed there. I think if you try to look into the bigger horizons of things this would not include all of us but looke at the perspective of the Chinese also they are looking at the whole nation at work during those times too. I am just hoping that sooner this will be a thing of the past and would be forgotten in time. But for now I cannot deny that I feel ashamed by what the hostage taker and the negotiators have done to shame the whole nations at that.

no it is not right. but maybe it is understandable though, we are supposed to be a democracy, a government by the people and as we can see - from P.Noy's "smug" comments to the police's "inutility" in handling the situation to the ombudsman's firing of Mendoza to the man hinself (who was a policeman) the government's responsibility for this mess. so maybe as a people we should be blamed for the inadequacies of our governemnt since we put them there in the first place.

It's the whole system that's at fault. First, we need to have clear-cut policies and also some humane laws regarding the firing of personnel in any organization. In times of crisis, who takes command and what should the various sectors do to help solve the problem?

no... but they can blame the officers...

According to me it is absolutely wrong to blame the whole nation for a mistake of 1 or 20 men. But it is the responsibilty of nation that no people should go wrong.

Of course it's not right. We are not a nation of killers. They just don't understand us. When Flor was hanged in Singapore, we Filipinos are so angry and we want to give Flor the justice she deserve and we do it by making a film about his life so that we will always be reminded of her story. Let's just let them express what they feel, don't fight back, be silent and their anger will just die down. As simple as that.