Relatives and survivors of the Luneta hostage crisis pray with Buddhist monks at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila a year after the tragedy. Photo by Rem Zamora for abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) - A simple Buddhist ritual at the Quirino Grandstand marked the first year of the August 23, 2010 hostage crisis in Rizal Park, Manila. 

Buddhist monks joined one of the survivors and relatives of the hostages who returned to Manila to commemorate the hostage drama. 

The families are joined by Filipino anti-crime groups like the Citizens Action against Crime and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption. 

Also present at the event are Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim and tourist police officials led by Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla. 

Eight Hong Kong tourists and their hostage-taker, Rolando Mendoza, were killed in the hostage drama that lasted 11 hours. 

On Monday, the families of the victims demanded an apology, compensation and accountability from the Philippine government. 

In Camp Crame, police offered a Mass to mark the hostage crisis. 

Director General Raul Bacalzo, Philippine National Police chief, and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo attended the Mass along with members of the Filipino-Chinese community. 

Bacalzo said the hostage crisis left many lessons for the police force who was blamed for bungling a rescue mission. 

He said the hostage crisis opened their eyes to the weaknesses in the system, procedures and inadequacies in the training and equipment of the PNP. 

Meanwhile, Robredo said the demand for an apology coming from the government is a mere word but what is important is that the government is acting on the mistakes they realized after the incident. 

"The best way to say sorry is to show it, not to say it," he said. 

On the part of the members of the Federation of Chinese-Filipino Chamber of Commerce, they said that they are satisfied with the actions taken by the PNP.  With a report from Doland Castro, ABS-CBN News, and ANC