Monday's hostage crisis only reinforced the notion of August as a very violent month in Philippine history.

On August 21, 1971, there was the bombing of Plaza Miranda during a rally by the opposition Liberal Party. Scores were hurt and killed. Except for a few who claim the communists were behind it, the widespread perception was that Ferdinand Marcos was its mastermind as a pretext for clamping down on civil liberties and later for a martial law proclamation over the country that would last for 14 years.

On August 21, 1983, former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., the leader of the then-political opposition returned from exile to the Philippines but was gunned down on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport. The incident enraged and agitated Filipinos to wage a three-year campaign to oust the Marcos dictatorship. 

In both cases, masterminds and perpetrators eluded prosecution and punishment. In both cases, a strongman were leading the country and had under his disposal all the powers and resources of government, no one was ever convicted of the crime.

This week, on August 23, a disgraced policeman hijacked a bus bearing scores of Hong Kong tourists. The drama stretched until early evening when the release of hostages ended and the police botched its assault. 

The difference this time is that the event was broadcast live on national and international television networks. Both the violent acts and the incompetent handling of the incident were for all of us to view and examine. This difference should mean good in the long run - The authorities would be able to make a brutally honest assessment of the incident, pin down those accountable for the botched police job, and institute reforms so that such an event may not easily happen again.

Yes, while the public and the more responsible members of the press have acknowledged excesses in the live coverage, the fact of the matter is that the authorities could turn to the published reports and both televised and untelevised tapes  from both the local and international media - aside from records of orders made and actions taken by authorities from various levels of government and police - to help ferret out the truth and hold liable those responsible for Monday's bloody outcome. 

Today, Monday's incident per se is fast become secondary to what the Aquino administration has done and is doing to close the case. The outrage of the citizens of China, Hong Kong and the Philippines may only be mitigated if the President ensures a quick yet thorough investigation, prosecute all those responsible, and do justice to all those made victims. 

Policemen are seriously mistaken if they think that we would all just forget about this incident. Policemen have been dubbed as too incompetent last August 23 - a matter of confirmation for Filipinos, and a matter of shock for the world. The hope is that they will save themselves and the dignity of the Philippines by being competent and honest in the investigation. 

Otherwise, Monday's hostage crisis won't be the last and worse acts of violence may hit the Philippines in the future.