The incident of ‘The Greenhills Hostage Taking’ that fearfully happened just recently this year in

our society, made a drastic change and served as an eye opener for many of other individuals,
mainly among the laborers and employers of our society. Who would have thought that in that
normal day, a normal individual had taken a dangerous action just because he felt that he was
being oppressed by powerful individuals, and he felt that there are many injustice happening in
his job as a security guard.
Archie Paray, a normal individual with a normal job, with normal family and background just
wanted his feelings to be heard. His bottled-up emotions, and many grievances just spilled like
that in an instant, through doing the Hostage taking incident. To think that this individual had
decided and chose his actions by doing such an unethical action, can also mean that he
desperately wanted to let his employer and other coworkers to know what he have been
experiencing in his job. As a person, Paray have all the rights to be heard, but unfortunately, he
used the wrong method of voicing his emotions. The problem is Paray is just ‘normal’, and as
normal, we pointed out that in this kind of situation that ‘normal’ person like Paray is usually
treated inappropriately because of lack of powers and authorities as an individual. “Dahil siguro
kami, guwardya lang” was the words that he said as he spoke to the media and from all over
the people listening to him as the hostage taking takes place. And those words were just as
heavy and deep as his emotions.
Nowadays, in our society does normal people like Paray have many chances to be heard? Does
all of the working class, with usually have low incomes, and worst always had contractual jobs,
ever given a chance to be treated equally? This only proves that there are many working
Filipinos who are also suffering just as like as Paray’s situation. The never-ending problem of
how to and when to finally end job contractualization. The situation also reflects on how there
are also employers who abused their authorities when it comes to money. It is really
unfortunate that many people work for long hours, only to be paid and endure having low pay.
Evidently, in all sides and angles, Paray’s action of hostage taking is wrong. But he is not only
the one to be blamed, the management as well, and all the higher ups is responsible. If only
there are no mistreatment happening behind his job and his work, and if only he did not laid off
from his job, then none of these will happen.
Now, Archie Paray, a normal individual with a normal family, with the actions he had taken was
being imprisoned. The ‘normal’ former security guard, now became a man known as a ‘hostage-
taker’. Not only he had loss his job, but his dignity as a person was also affected. He gained
sympathy from all the people who had watched and heard him, but most of all the feeling of
empathy was highlighted in this situation, having the ability to understand and to feel what is
Paray’s situation, and imagining of putting oneself to his.