The President made an effort to emphasize details that in crisis situations do not really matter, especially to an angry community. He did his own math and saw comfort in it: that only 5 out of the 98 villages in the city were under siege at the time. The Zamboangeños saw beyond the numbers and pushed for swift military action. A full-blown assault was discussed on Aquino’s first night in the city. But the President hedged, asking the locals: “Do you understand what you’re talking about? Can you attend the funeral of 300?”