For sure Alchie Paray had serious problems when he held about 50 people hostage the other day at the V Mall in Greenhills, San Juan. Paray complained about losing his job as a security guard at the busy mall.
Authorities, however, must not lose sight of the fact that Paray had not only shot and wounded another security guard but had also terrorized people, his 50 hostages most of all. His caper shut down a shopping mall for an entire day, costing all the tenants and daily wageworkers their earnings.
So many people lose their jobs every day around the planet. They don’t go around taking hostages at gunpoint and brandishing a grenade to whine about their problems. The security agency that had hired Paray said he had merely been reassigned as part of the regular rotation of guards. It’s a private company and such rotations are reported to be typical in security agencies.
Authorities should also find out how a private security guard managed to get hold of a hand grenade. There should be some marking or serial number to trace the source of this lethal weapon. Grenades are kept in the arsenal of the military and police. Was the grenade stolen? Either certain soldiers or cops are pilfering and selling grenades in the black market, or private entities are able to smuggle such explosives. If these entities can bring in grenades, what other weapons are they smuggling into the country?
Even if Paray might have had a valid complaint, he chose the wrong means for airing his grievance. This kind of behavior cannot be rewarded, and the full force of the law must be applied on him. Otherwise, taking hostages at gunpoint while brandishing a grenade could be emulated by every person with a beef against his employer.