Quote

【明報專訊】"My smile might have been misunderstood. If I've offended certain people, I apologise to them."

——Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines

On August 23, Aquino III smiled a couple of times at a late-night press conference held in the wake of the hostage-taking tragedy in which eight Hong Kong citizens were killed. Widely criticised, he felt compelled to apologise. He stressed his facial expression after the tragedy was "an expression of exasperation (憤怒) rather than anything". His Facebook page was flooded with angry comments. His smiles, together with the police's bungled rescue, have landed him in a political crisis.