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> The Rolando Mendoza Disaster
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The Rolando Mendoza Disaster
7:31 pm: Driver escapes from the bus, says everyone in the bus is already dead.
Question to our beloved PNP: The hostage situation took more than TWELVE HOURS, and yet in that amount of time, the PNP had NO CONTINGENCY PLAN ON WHAT TO DO IF ROLANDO MENDOZA STARTS SHOOTING THE HOSTAGES?!!!
7:40 pm: PNP Assault team assaulting the bus ... seemingly incompetently ... Oh so slow ...
7:50 pm: Ten minutes after the start of the assault, the PNP is still trying to get into the bus. The whole incident is being broadcasted all over the world, folks.
7:55 pm: Fifteen minutes after the assault ... Nope, still outside.
8:00 pm: Twenty minutes after the assault ... PNP still staring at the windows, posing around the bus. I would presume that any previously injured hostages, would now be dead.
8:05 pm: Twenty five minutes after the assault, and the PNP still has no idea how to get inside the bus. They're just randomly trying to smash the windows. I'm watching and timing you, PNP. Your SWAT is a bunch of INCOMPETENT morons. The whole episode is on CNN, by the way.
8:10 pm: Thirty minutes after the start of the assault, I assume Rolando Mendoza is already dead ... OF BOREDOM. Mendoza with grenades and bombs? That's an ASSUMPTION, morons, not fact. There are no evidence he has, that is just speculation.
At any rate, it is the PNP's job to take the risk, so some of the hostages who may still be alive will be saved.
Gad, I am so ashamed for the Philippines.
8:15 pm: Yes, folks, this whole assault will probably take another twelve hours to complete. The main strategy is probably to bore Mendoza enough, so he will be man enough to put his gun in his mouth and pull the trigger.
Emergency door at the rear already opened. After thirty-five minutes into the assault. Wow. All the competent police forces all over the world are probably laughing their as_es off by now.
This is supposed to be a TRADEGY, not a COMEDY.
8:20 pm: Forty minutes after the start of the assault, and I'm running out of funny quips to try to lighten up this tragedy (which will be on my blog later). And still the PNP is still not finished assaulting the bus. Wouldn't be surprised if CNN drops the live coverage, in place for a resumption of the live coverage tomorrow morning.
8:25 pm: Forty-five minutes after the assault ... still outside. I wonder what's the world record?
8:30 pm: Fifty minutes after the assault ... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ...
Maybe I should switch the update to every ten minutes?
8:35 pm: Fifty-minutes after the assault ... "I'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes, I'll be comin' round the mountain when comes, I'll be comin' round the mountain, I'll be comin' round the mountain, I'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes ..."
8:40 pm: One hour after the assault ... Wooooo-hooooo ... One full hour, still outside, and the excuses are pouring in from the PNP SWAT Assault Team leader ... along with the rain ...
Tear gas thrown in ...
8:41 pm: Shots fired. Body of person hanging out of the door.
8:43 pm: Police around the bus confirms the body is that of Mendoza.
8:45 pm: Hostages being evacuated.
8:48 pm: Ambulances arrive at the bus. Only four out of fifteen hostages step out of the bus.
8:52 pm: Additional two hostages taken out of the bus alive. That means six of fourteen hostages alive.
9:07 pm: Four seemingly dead hostages taken out of the bus. Another hostage walks out; Another hostage looked wounded.
Tally so far: Seven hostages alive; Another wounded; Four seemed dead. Two hostages unaccounted for.
Hong Kong issues black travel alert for Philippines
23 August 2010, 6:26 PM
HONG KONG Hong Kong issued its top-level black travel alert for the Philippines on Monday after at least four Hong Kong tourists were killed in Manila in a bus hijack by an armed ex-policeman.
A serious kidnap incident happened in the Philippines. Hong Kong residents should avoid all travel to the country, a government spokesman said in a statement.
Those who are already there should attend to their personal safety and exercise caution.
At least four of the hostages have been killed while four walked free after their 12-hour ordeal, police and doctors in Manila said, but the fate of another seven remains unclear.
Naturally, in this day and age, you have the appropriate Facebook pages coming out ...
* Rolando Mendoza (Hate Page)
* PNP SWAT (Hate Page)
I was watching Umagang Kay Ganda this morning. Anthony Taberna interviewed that guy who took a bus-load of kids hostage a couple of years back. First question that comes to mind is: why the hell would you interview another hostage-taker on national tv? Mendoza is already dead, along with several innocent people who were either shot by him, or hit by 'friendly' gunfire (should we change that to 'incompetent' gunfire?), so what good could interviewing a potential sympathizer do? True to form, when the old guy was asked by Taberna whether he thought that what Mendoza did was wrong, the old guy says he didn't think so, because he needed to be heard. Then he goes on a diatribe about how the police agitated Mendoza and a few other things. All this time, Taberna (who is usually the one who stumps his interviewees with his questions) is finding it hard to get his point across. He had to resort to saying outright "Mr. ______, MALI PO and ginawa ni Rolando Mendoza." So much for an interview.
The other thing that ticked me off about that segment is when he delivered his closing statements. He said, where were the senior officials throughout this tragedy, where was the DILG Head, where was President NoyNoy. Looking for the DILG Head - sure, I get that and I concur. But the President? Really? You expect the president to personally go there and talk to this whackjob? You expected him to be there on the scene and give this psycho a greater sense of control? If he did that, all the other whackjobs will be pulling similar stunts to get attention. 8 million people voted for Erap. That gives you an idea of the potential number of whackjobs out there. I just find Taberna's final statement to be so irresponsible.
Kid Cubao
^^ i think it was in the context of reports that hong kong chief executive donald tsang was frantically trying to contact pres. aquino since 4pm yesterday, to no avail. how and why our president was held incommunicado, i don't know. if it were another president at the helm, he or she would have been all over the place, given the grave diplomatic implications of this tragic misadevnture.
Perhaps I misinterpreted Taberna's statement. I still don't like the way they handled it. That interview should not have been conducted at all.
Vice Mayor Isko Moreno also gave his personal account of the goings-on yesterday, which differs slightly from what one might interpret from what one sees in news reports. He said that it was Mendoza's brother who told Mendoza to not surrender. For all I know, this could be disaster management already, but I still don't trust everything that Philippine media feeds me. It's scary how much media can influence a person's outlook.
7:40 pm: PNP Assault team assaulting the bus ... seemingly incompetently ... Oh so slow ...
Calling these bumbling clowns an "assault team" is a stretch. No discernable tactics nor standard anti-terrorist equipment. One fool even had his cap worn visor back instead of weaing a safer kevlar helmet, and wore no body armor. They didn't even see it fit to open the rear emergency exit door until after pounding away at the laminated windshield and windows with a sledgehammer :P and being driven away by gunshots for the better part of an hour.
One newspaper account even called these dimwits "commandos."
Unfortunately, the situation called for a "hostage rescue team."
Got these from some of the Facebook sites around: Prime examples of how to properly assault a hijacked bus, by COMPETENT police forces.
* Russian Police Assaulting a Hijacked Bus
* German Police Forces Assaulting a Hijacked Bus
And more bad news coming in. Sobrang nakakahiya, grabe talaga. I am so, so, so very sorry for our country:
Philippine police admit blunders in deadly hostage ordeal
Posted: 24 August 2010 1106 hrs
MANILA: Philippine police conceded on Tuesday that they made blunders in ending a bus hijacking as outrage grew over the bloody assault played out on live television that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.
Commandos fired dozens of bullets into the bus and smashed its windows with sledgehammers as they tried to storm it, but were then forced to wait outside helplessly for over an hour as the hijacker used his captives as human shields.
The ordeal in Manila's tourist district on Monday finally ended when the police fired tear gas into the bus and a sniper shot the gunman in the head, but by that time eight of the tourists on board had been killed.
Amid a building storm of criticism from Hong Kong's government and people around the world who watched the shoot-out live on television, Manila police commander Leocadio Santiago admitted mistakes had been made.
"We saw some obvious shortcomings in terms of capability and tactics used, or the procedure employed and we are now going to investigate this," Santiago said on local television.
He and President Benigno Aquino promised to probe all aspects of the 12-hour ordeal, which began when a disgruntled sacked policeman armed with an M-16 assault rifle hijacked a bus carrying 25 people, mostly Hong Kong tourists.
Aquino told a pre-dawn press conference that the tragedy highlighted many flaws in the ability of Philippine security forces to handle hostage situations.
"There are a lot of things (that) resulted in a tragedy. Obviously we should be improving," said Aquino, who took office less than two months ago.
One of the problems he emphasised was the way the crisis played out through the media, with the gunman being allowed to speak on radio and watch events live on the bus's television, giving him insights into police actions.
But Aquino nevertheless insisted waiting more than 10 hours before storming the bus was the right course of action, because police believed until that point they could convince the gunman to stand down.
However, relatives of the victims as well as the Hong Kong government and media expressed anger over the bloody end to the stand off.
"The way it is handled -- particularly the outcome -- is very disappointing," Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang told reporters.
The Chinese embassy in Manila on Tuesday urged the Philippines to take concrete measures to protect Chinese citizens while Hong Kong newspapers bemoaned missed opportunities to end the siege much earlier.
"A large group of police failed to get into the bus after surrounding the vehicle for nearly half an hour," the Hong Kong Economic Journal said.
"Their appalling professional standards, and the lack of strategic planning, made observers both angry and sad. This tragedy could have been avoided."
One of the survivors, who identified herself as Mrs Leung, said at the scene after she scrambled out of the bus that police should not have waited so long before taking action.
"There were so many people on the bus -- no one came to our rescue. Why?" said Mrs Leung.
Hong Kong media said Mrs Leung's husband had died in a hail of bullets as he tried to protect his wife. The couple's three children aged 14, 18 and 21 were also on the bus and remained unaccounted for, according to the reports.
The Hong Kong government organised two chartered flights to take relatives of the hostages, as well as psychologists, doctors and social workers, to Manila.
Flags flew at half mast and the Hong Kong stock exchange held a minute's silence as the shocked territory mourned the victims.
The gunman, former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, hijacked the bus in a crazed attempt to clear his name from charges of extortion that led to him being discharged from the police force in 2008.
Mendoza, 55, had demanded that the ombudsman re-open an investigation into his case, which centred on accusations he tried to extort money from a man who was accused of drug trafficking.
Before being discharged, Mendoza was regarded as a model officer, once being named by his superiors as among the top 10 policemen in the country. - AFP/fa
The ridiculousness of the 'assault team' can be clearly seen in this photo (image from BBC News):
Bigger image can be seen at:
Image 6 of 11.
Lead guy is smashing the window while half the assault team is lined up behind him like dominoes. I see SPO-homeboy there too (5th from the left). So after lead guy smashes the window, what are they planning on doing next? The window is 6 1/2 - 7 feet high, they're not carrying anything they can step on to reach it easily. During this time, the other half of the assault team is doing the same thing to the door of the bus and the windshield, if I am not mistaken.
Jaco D
What I find ironic is now and then the military/police release photos/press releases of simulated "incidents" showing that they are prepared for such emergencies. Now that they're faced with the real thing, they act like a bunch of idiots. Nakakahiya nga.
Lead guy is smashing the window while half the assault team is lined up behind him like dominoes. I see SPO-homeboy there too (5th from the left). So after lead guy smashes the window, what are they planning on doing next? The window is 6 1/2 - 7 feet high, they're not carrying anything they can step on to reach it easily. During this time, the other half of the assault team is doing the same thing to the door of the bus and the windshield, if I am not mistaken.
If you look at the videos of COMPETENT police forces assaulting bus hijackings, the idea basically was to;
- Make multiple entrances;
- Throw Flash-Bang Grenades;
- Enter the multiple entrances at the same time.
The idea is to overwhelm the suspect/s, surround him so his back is turned to at least some of the police forces, from where he can be shot and neutralized.
The problem with this approach, is that the suspect/s will be facing some of the assault team members, and that is where the danger lies. Though the Flash-Bang grenade is there to disorient and hopefully throw off the aim of the suspect/s, there is still the danger of him hitting somebody.
I can understand the fear of some of the policemen of being shot, but that's their job. In fact, that's part of a policeman's job, the risk of being shot. If they are so concerned about it that they cannot do their job, then maybe they should have not been in that job in the first place.
Be an Accountant, or something else, but not a policeman.
I can understand the fear of some of the policemen of being shot, but that's their job. In fact, that's part of a policeman's job, the risk of being shot. If they are so concerned about it that they cannot do their job, then maybe they should have not been in that job in the first place.
Be an Accountant, or something else, but not a policeman.
I was discussing this with my wife this morning, after I saw how the policemen kept ding-dong-ing back and forth. They'll start moving in, then pag makarinig ng putok, aatras. Sure, gunfire is scary. The closest I've gotten to (hypothetically) getting shot was a an angry guy reaching behind his pants to get what I think was a gun. I agree with you 100% - they are policemen. Self-preservation should take a backseat when there are other lives on the balance. And in this case, it wasn't even hypothetical, they knew that Mendoza had already shot some of his hostages.
Kung sa first world yan, those policemen would resign out of shame.
So while they were lined up at the side of the bus, nobody had the sense to smash the side mirror of the bus, which made all ov them visible.
And, for f*ck's sake, does the entire NCRPO just have one ax?
I felt so ashamed my country's police force bungled their chance to make good account of themselves in front of international tv. And where was media responsibility?
Nung estudyante pa ako kaya kong gumawa ng atake ng less than 30 seconds mag-isa. Parang counterstrike lang yan me kasama pang pagdetonate ng bomba sa loob. ;D
Kidding aside. I know it is easier said than done and but one hour is too much. SWAT have more 8 hours to strategize what to do incase worst scenario happen.
What are the Hong Kong people saying about the Philippines? Here's a sample of a few news articles ...
Hong Kong criticises handling of Manila hostage crisis
Reuters - Tuesday, August 24
HONG KONG - Hong Kong's leader Donald Tsang criticised the handling of a hostage crisis in the Philippine capital on Monday in which seven Hong Kong tourists were killed after police commandos stormed the bus they were held in for more than 10 hours.
A gunman, identified as 55-year-old ex-police captain Rolando Mendoza who was armed with an M-16 assault rifle, held 15 tourists hostage on a wide road in Manila's biggest park in the morning.
Two more hostages were seriously wounded.
"It is most regrettable," said Tsang who appeared close to tears during a press conference. "The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, I find is disappointing," said Tsang.
Others in Hong Kong reacted with shock and some anger after what appeared to an ineffective rescue operation, with thousands glued to their television sets as live footage of the hostage drama played on local television for much of the day.
Such hostage incidents are extremely rare for residents of the financial hub and former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Police commandos could be seen breaking the windows of the bus minutes after a series of gunshots were heard and the driver of the bus was seen running to safety.
The commandos then struggled repeatedly to smash their way into the bus for over half an hour. As they did so, further gunshots could be heard, causing the officers to duck down and take cover. After around an hour the gunman was eventually killed and the hostages freed.
"It's a tragedy and a farce," said Kevin Chan, a Hong Kong resident. "Why did it take them so long to get into the bus? They're not well disciplined and trained. Are they crazy?"
Another Hong Kong resident Sunny Ho said things could have been handled through calmer negotiations rather than brute force.
"It's really tragic, the Philippine police and government are totally incompetent. The government should have agreed to the request of the gunman and rescued the people first!" Ho said.
A batch of hostages including three children were earlier freed. "I hope the Philippines government can give me a full account of what happened," Tsang said.
Protests in Hong Kong over Manila bloodbath
Posted: 24 August 2010 1720 hrs
HONG KONG - Hong Kong protesters Tuesday slammed the Philippines and newspapers accused Manila police of incompetence as the territory plunged into mourning for eight tourists slain in a hostage drama.
One Hong Kong survivor of Monday's day-long bus siege in the Philippine capital said her husband and two daughters -- aged 21 and 14 -- were killed as the crisis reached a bloody climax live on television.
Her 18-year-old son was in intensive care in hospital and her husband died a hero trying to shield his family, said the survivor, identifying herself only as Mrs Leung.
"The Philippine government... I can't accept this. Why did they do this to us?" she told Hong Kong officials who flew to the Manila hospital, in an emotional encounter shown on Cable News TV.
"(The gunman) did not want to kill us. He only shot us after the negotiations failed," she said, sobbing.
Flags on government buildings flew at half-mast in mourning for the victims, who were part of a Hong Kong tour group, and the stock exchange paused for a minute's silence at the start of Tuesday's trading.
A steady stream of protesters organised by political and civic groups marched to Hong Kong's Philippine consulate -- where police numbers were stepped up -- to vent their anger over Monday's events.
"We are very angry about how the Philippine government handled this case," said Alex Tou, head of the Kowloon Federation of Associations, who led one group of 40 shouting demonstrators.
The Hong Kong government raised a "black" travel alert for the Philippines, urging against all travel to one of Southeast Asia's most popular tourist spots.
"We demand that the Philippine authorities conduct a detailed and comprehensive investigation on the incident. They must provide a full account to us as soon as possible," Chief Executive Donald Tsang said.
He also urged all Hong Kong tour groups in the Philippines to return home.
The government organised two chartered flights by Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific to take relatives of the hostages, as well as psychologists, doctors and social workers, to Manila.
Officials said one of the flights would depart from Manila Tuesday evening to bring at least two survivors and family members home.
Lurid photographs of the bloodbath dominated the front pages of newspapers in Hong Kong, home to an estimated 150,000 Filipinos mostly working as domestic helpers.
The Philippines said it was sending a delegation to Hong Kong soon to explain the hijack crisis in fuller detail, after a disgraced former senior police inspector seized the tour bus to press for his old job back.
"We're concerned that... because of the public anger in Hong Kong over what happened, there will be threats against Filipinos living and working there," presidential spokesman Ricky Carandang said.
A few Chinese-language papers in Hong Kong changed their mast-head colour from red to black in mourning.
Editorials echoed Tsang in querying the response of Philippine authorities, after the Hong Kong leader had late Monday called the handling of the crisis "very disappointing".
Newspapers bemoaned missed opportunities by police to end the siege much earlier, including when the gunman had presented a target to snipers by waving from the bus door.
"Their appalling professional standards, and the lack of strategic planning, made observers both angry and sad. This tragedy could have been avoided," the Hong Kong Economic Journal said.
The Apple Daily said: "It makes people question the competence of the police."
China's embassy in Manila urged the government "to take concrete measures to ensure the safety and security of the Chinese citizens" in the Philippines.
- AFP/ir
And the condemnations keep coming in.
The official Noynoy Aquino page on Facebook has been besieged by angry Hong Kong people, condemning the leadership of Noynoy in this crisis.
Hong Kong sad, furious
(The Philippine Star) Updated August 25, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (127)
HONG KONG The bloody hostage crisis in Manila that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead has generated sorrow and anger in this former British colony as protests grew over the handling of the siege.
Flags on government buildings flew at half-mast in mourning for the victims, who were part of a Hong Kong tour group, and the stock exchange paused for a minutes silence at the start of yesterdays trading.
The Chinese government also demanded answers from the Philippines and an explanation for its failure to resolve the crisis that led to Mondays bloodbath.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said his government was appalled and telephoned his Philippine counterpart Alberto Romulo to voice concern.
The Chinese government demands the Philippine government launch a thorough investigation into the incident and inform the Chinese side of related details as soon as possible, Yang said.
In a separate statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said China had already sent a team to Manila to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy.
China has requested the Philippine side to take pragmatic measures to ensure life and property safety of Chinese nationals in the country, he said.
As Hong Kong residents expressed outrage over the hostage incident, newspapers in the Chinese territory accused the Manila police of incompetence in resolving the standoff.
The Philippines is one of the most chaotic countries in Southeast Asia, said the Chinese newspaper Peoples Daily. A culture of colonization, autocracy and rapid changes in government have created all sorts of curious grievances in this country.
Dismissed senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, armed with a M16 assault rifle and a pistol, seized the busload of 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipino guides to demand his reinstatement in the force.
The ordeal ended in bloodshed on live TV with police storming the bus and killing Mendoza after he had fired at the tourists, killing eight of them.
Filipino police incompetent, Hong Kongs Ming Pao Daily News said in a front-page headline.
Clearly, if local police used more decisive and professional rescue methods, maybe the bloody tragedy could have been avoided, the Hong Kong Economic Journal said in an editorial yesterday.
The South China Morning Post called the killings a wake-up call for the Philippines to boost security and take gun-control measures.
At the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong, a wealthy former British colony unaccustomed to violence, several dozen protesters chanted: Strongly condemn the Philippine government for being careless about human life!
A steady stream of protestors organized by political and civic groups marched to Hong Kongs Philippine consulate where police numbers were stepped up to vent their anger over Mondays events.
We are very angry about how the Philippine government handled this case, said Alex Tou, head of the Kowloon Federation of Associations, who led one group of 40 shouting demonstrators.
The Hong Kong government raised a black travel alert for the Philippines, urging against all travel to one of Southeast Asias most popular tourist spots.
We demand that the Philippine authorities conduct a detailed and comprehensive investigation on the incident. They must provide a full account to us as soon as possible, chief executive Donald Tsang said.
He also urged all Hong Kong tour groups in the Philippines to return home.
Hong Kongs Liberal Party also expressed outrage over the incident.
We are here to express our feelings, not only of the Liberal Party, but the people of Hong Kong. We condemn the Philippine government for letting this (hostage) incident happen. We are totally furious. This is the feeling of the Hong Kong people. We think that the event was handled unprofessionally, said Victor Fang, legislative councilor of the Liberal Party.
The Liberal Party was among the groups that picketed the Philippine consular office in Hong Kong expressing their outrage over the incident.
Consul general Claro Cristobal said they had been swamped by protests since the crisis broke Monday morning.
Cristobal told a radio interview that even the email accounts of Philippine tourism representatives were swamped with messages from persons angry over the incident.
He said consulate general offices received several calls since Monday night, all demanding justice for the victims of the bloody standoff.
Since Monday night, we have received all forms of communication and protests from various sectors of the Hong Kong community. They want our country to pay for the expenses of the victims families still in Manila, he said.
Damage control measures
The Philippine government, on the other hand, defended its handling of the bloody hostage crisis.
President Aquino, faced with his first major crisis since taking office in June, said the incident showed the need for more police training and better equipment.
How can I be satisfied when there were people who died? Mr. Aquino told reporters in the midnight hours after the hostage incident.
The President said he would be sending a high-level delegation to Hong Kong to explain how Mondays hijack crisis in Manila resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists.
Vice President Jejomar Binay said he had been tasked by Mr. Aquino to lead the delegation to Beijing and explain the incident to Chinese government officials.
Binay met Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao at the airport in Manila and relayed the condolences of the Philippine government over the deaths of the tourists.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo added he was instructed to get in touch with his Chinese counterpart and relay Mr. Aquinos message of condolence.
Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said they are also concerned over reports of retaliatory actions against Filipino workers in Hong Kong following the hostage crisis.
Carandang told reporters there were already anecdotal reports about retaliatory actions against Filipinos working in Hong Kong.
But Carandang said there were no verified reports of actual physical threats against Filipinos.
Dolores Balladares, chair of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong, said they had heard a similar story about the sacking of a Filipino maid and were trying to verify it.
Balladares said they were concerned that Hong Kongs growing outrage towards the Philippine government would affect the livelihood of the 150,000 Filipinos, most of whom work as domestic helpers in the financial hub.
I hope there will be no backlash against the Filipino community in Hong Kong. No one wanted this tragedy, she said.
She said Filipino groups in Hong Kong would hold a press conference today to express their concern over the tension and pass their condolences to the victims of the hostage crisis.
In Manila, the flag fronting the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) building was flown at half-mast in mourning for the eight Hong Kong tourists killed during the hostage crisis.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) also defended their action but promised to review all events leading to the deaths.
There will be an internal audit. We will look at whether what we did was right, PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz said.
Of course what happened was far from ideal. Nevertheless, we are congratulating our personnel because despite the lack of equipment... they risked life and limb, Cruz said.
Television showed some police commandos lacked helmets and appropriate communication equipment, and the team had no ladder vehicle to help climb aboard the seized bus while storming it shortcomings that, according to security experts, hampered a speedy response.
Shock TV
Security experts were baffled and angered by the Philippines handling of a hostage crisis in which a lone gunman was able to monitor ill-coordinated police operations live on television.
The fact that there was essentially live video was mistake number one, said assistant professor John Harrison, a homeland security analyst at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Harrison said there should have been a media blackout to deny the hijacker feedback on what was going on around him.
Instead, he was able to follow events including frenzied speculation by serving and former police chiefs appearing on Philippine networks via the buss internal TV.
Hong Kong newspapers bemoaned missed opportunities by the Manila police to end the siege much earlier, including a moment when the gunman waved from the bus door.
Dennis Wong Sing Wing, an associate professor of applied social studies at City University in Hong Kong, said the police operation was really shocking to watch as it unfolded live on TV.
I am very angry about their unprofessional performance, he said. They are indirectly responsible for the deaths of the Hong Kong people.
Wong said the policemen assigned to end the hostage taking appeared to lack modern weapons and communication equipment, and as a result were hesitant to attack the gunman, who was armed with an M16 assault rifle.
Wong criticized the negotiating tactics employed by police, saying they failed to calm the hostage-taker down and hear him out.
A retired Philippine military official who wrote a counter-terrorism manual and now runs a security consultancy said the police had enough expertise and equipment to deal with such an incident, but they were not put to use.
We have everything, except the execution was poorly done, he said, declining to be named.
He was critical of the stop-go negotiations and tentative assault launched after gunshots rang out from inside the bus, adding that the police should have disabled the TV monitor early on.
Contact (by negotiators) should have been constant. Its the talking that does a lot, he said.
When you order an assault, it has to be an assault. There is no such thing as a tentative assault, he said. If 10 policemen have to die, they have to die in that assault.
The retired official believed many of the policemen on the scene, some of them seen crouching without any body armor behind patrol cars, did not appear to be fully trained Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel.
They just put helmets on certain people, he remarked.
Trial judge Jaime Santiago, a former SWAT officer, told ABS-CBN that police failed to impose crowd control in the hostage site and panicked after hearing gunshots from the bus.
They should have put a tactical force, SWAT snipers and an assault team on standby during the negotiation so that if the hostage-taker started harming people, they would act, Santiago added.
Santiago noted the failure of the police team to react properly after the negotiations went haywire.
As negotiations got underway where the bus was parked, the outcome at first looked promising with Mendoza freeing nine hostages.
Then the situation unraveled. Mendoza demanded a signed promise from the Ombudsman that his case would be reviewed, but its delivery was delayed for hours, partly by Manilas notorious traffic, and when it finally arrived he rejected it as insufficient.
Police made an initial attempt to board the bus after Mendoza grew agitated while talking to his brother.
The Filipino bus driver later managed to escape and reported that Mendoza had fired at the tourists. Mendoza was then shot in the head, police lobbed tear gas into the bus and commandos stormed the vehicle by smashing windows and the backdoor with sledgehammers.
Police managed to rescue eight passengers during the ordeal, many of them wounded and one of whom later died in hospital. Mendoza and seven passengers were lying dead, one of them slumped on the bus steps.
I hid under a seat (when the gunman started to fire), Wang Zhuoyao, 15, told reporters from a hospital bed.
Then the police dispersed gas. People in the bus were struggling. I could hear that many people couldnt breathe.
A freed hostage who gave only her surname, Ng, told Hong Kong reporters that she saw her husband killed by Mendoza after he tried to subdue the gunman.
He was very brave. He rushed forward from the back of the bus. He wanted to prevent the gunman from killing people. He sacrificed himself, she said.
She said that Mendoza at first did not want to kill us, but since the negotiation failed, he shot to kill people. AP, Pia Lee-Brago, Rudy Santos, Carina Roncesvalles, Roel Pareño
Philippines mourns, HK angry after hijack deaths
MANILA, Philippines The Philippines acknowledged "inadequacies" in handling a hostage crisis that killed eight Hong Kong tourists, as anger over the botched negotiations erupted Tuesday in Hong Kong with demonstrations and harsh words.
A heartbreaking picture emerged of the victims a mother of three who lost her husband and two daughters, a teenager oblivious of her parents' death and a tour guide who aspired to become a yoga teacher.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, facing his first major crisis since taking office on June 30, declared Wednesday a national day of mourning in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong to "share their sorrow," his spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
Officials promised a full investigation into how the hijacker a former policeman demanding his job back was able to gun down eight of the 15 Hong Kong hostages on board the bus before a sniper killed him and officers were finally able to get into the vehicle. Seven other hostages survived the final bloodbath, which came after a 12-hour standoff at a seaside Manila park.
Philippine Interior Secretary Jessie Robredo, who is in charge of the national police, acknowledged Tuesday there were problems with how the crisis was handled.
"Had we been better prepared, better equipped, better trained, maybe the response would have been quicker despite the difficulty," Robredo said.
He added, "All the inadequacies happened at the same time."
Philippine police had defended their actions pointing out that officers lacking proper equipment had risked their lives in trying to bring the standoff to an end. But they promised to review all events leading to the deaths.
In Hong Kong, sorrow quickly evolved into outrage, with several of the semiautonomous Chinese territory's political parties leading protesters to the Philippine Consulate.
Demonstrators chanted, "You caused the deaths of Hong Kongers," and one protester scuffled with a security guard.
"We think the Philippine government used the wrong strategy. We think the operation failed," pro-Beijing legislator Lau Kong-wah told reporters.
Several Hong Kong newspapers printed mastheads in black, and flags in the territory flew at half-staff.
"Filipino police incompetent," Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News said in a front-page headline.
The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Committee added its voice to demands for an explanation, but also was "deeply concerned by people who are trying to blow this incident out of proportion" and who might vent anger through retaliatory attacks against thousands of Filipinos who work there, mostly as maids.
"This tragedy should not become a conflict of nationalities," it said in a statement.
Aquino on Tuesday met Chinese ambassador Liu Jianchao and phoned Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang to brief them on the investigation into the crisis that started when a dismissed police officer armed with a M16 rifle and a pistol seized a busload of 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos to demand his reinstatement on the force.
The ordeal ended in bloodshed on live TV with police storming the bus and killing the gunman, 55-year-old Rolando Mendoza, after he fired at the tourists.
Of the 25 people originally on the bus, 13 of the Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos survived. Nine of the survivors had been freed by Mendoza hours before the gunfire began.
Britain's Foreign Office said Tuesday that two of the hostages who were released were British nationals.
At the scene of the standoff, family of two dead hostages attended a Buddhist memorial ceremony Tuesday.
The tearful relatives trailed monks who walked around bus, sprinkling water around the bullet-pocked vehicle. Survivor Amy Ng mourned the deaths of her husband Ken Leung, whom she said confronted the gunman, and daughters Doris and Jessie, aged 21 and 14. Her son, Jason, was still hospitalized after an operation on a head wound.
"I thought I would fight for survival so I could take care of my children, but two of them have already died," a sobbing Ng said Tuesday.
A bedridden, catatonic Tracey Wong told Hong Kong reporters she hid under a seat in the bus while Mendoza fired at the hostages.
"I want to find daddy and mommy quickly and see if they're OK," the 15-year-old said. But Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported that both her parents were among those killed, identifying her father as 51-year-old Wong Tze-lam.
Tour operator Hong Thai Travel Services general manager Susanna Lau praised a slain tour guide, 31-year-old Masa Tse, for his vigilance and decade-long service. TV footage showed him peeking out of the bus during his captivity and later one hand handcuffed to a position near the bus door.
Tse had studied yoga in India and wanted to become an instructor, Hong Kong's Cable TV reported, citing his friends. His Facebook page was flooded with messages of condolences. "I know you did your best to protect members of your tour group. You were very brave. Rest in peace. I will always miss you," friend Tulip Lam wrote.
Hong Kong has canceled tours to the Philippines and asked Hong Kong tourists still in the country to leave.
Philippine Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said the crisis would likely damage the industry. About 140,000 Hong Kong tourists come annually.
"I'm hoping it will be forgotten soon enough," he said in a Manila hospital, where some of the former hostages were treated.
"We will try to improve ourselves and assure the Hong Kong government and the rest of the world that we will be able to handle matters much better in the future," he said.
Associated Press writers Jim Gomez, Teresa Cerojano and Hrvoje Hranjski in Manila, Min Lee in Hong Kong and David Stringer in London contributed to this report.
I feel that a more COMPETENT President would've easily realized what the stakes are in this crisis, which is the reputation of the country since the whole incident was shown all over the world.
I guess you end up with a lack of a sense of urgency, when you are used to being mediocre all of your life.
It is not true that the we don't have the manpower and resources to solve issues like this. We have, and that comes in the form of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF), a counter-terrorist / anti-coup force with a big budget, lots of training, and equipment. Where were they in this incident? Why were they not used?
Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong
A security analyst who has worked in counter-terrorism with the British Army and Scotland Yard, Charles Shoebridge, says the officers involved in Manila's bus siege showed great courage - but they were not properly trained or equipped for the task.
Here are 10 areas where, in his view, they could have done better.
1. Determination
The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. "They showed great courage to go on board. It's very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it's not unexpected you are going to be fired at. Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through."
2. Lack of equipment
The police spent a long time smashing the windows of the bus, whereas explosive charges (known as frame charges) would have knocked in windows and doors instantly. "They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn't know what to do next," Mr Shoebridge says. "They almost looked like a group of vandals." Their firearms were also inappropriate - some had pistols, some had assault rifles. Ideally they would have carried a short submachine gun, suitable for use in confined spaces.
3. Lost opportunity to disarm the gunman
There were numerous opportunities to restrain the gunman, Mr Shoebridge believes. "The negotiators were so close to him, and he had his weapon hanging down by his side. He could have been disabled without having to kill him."
4. Lost opportunity to shoot the gunman
The video of the drama also shows there were occasions when the gunman was standing alone, during the course of the day, and could have been shot by a sharpshooter. "You are dealing with an unpredictable and irrational individual. The rule should be that if in the course of negotiations an opportunity arises to end the situation decisively, it should be taken," Mr Shoebridge says. Either this possibility did not occur to the officers in charge, he adds, or they considered it and decided to carry on talking.
5. Satisfying the gunman's demands
"I wondered why the authorities just didn't give in to all of his demands," says Charles Shoebridge. "A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honour. Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands. He could be reinstated in the police - and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking." The Philippines authorities did in fact give in to the gunman's demands, but too little, too late. One message promised to review his case, while he wanted it formally dismissed. A second message reinstating him as a police offer only arrived after the shooting had started.
6. Televised proceedings
The gunman was able to follow events on television, revealing to him everything that was going on around him. This was a "crucial defect in the police handling", Mr Shoebridge says. He adds that police should always consider putting a barrier or screen around the area, to shield the scene from the cameras and keep the hostage taker in the dark.
7. No element of surprise
It was clear to the gunman what the police were doing at all times, not only because the whole incident was televised, but also because they moved "laboriously slowly", Mr Shoebridge says. The police did not distract him, so were unable to exploit the "crucial element of surprise".
8. Safeguarding the public
At least one bystander was shot, possibly because the public was allowed too close. The bullet from an M16 rifle, as carried by the gunman, can travel for about a mile, so preventing any risk of injury would have been difficult, Mr Shoebridge says, but a lot more could have been done. "When you saw the camera view from above, it was clear there was little command and control of the public on the ground," he says.
9. Using the gunman's brother to negotiate
Relatives and close friends can be a double-edged sword, Mr Shoebridge says. While they may have leverage over the hostage taker, what they are saying cannot be easily controlled. In this case, the gunman's brother was included in the negotiations - however, at a certain stage he became agitated and police started to remove him from the scene. The gunman saw this on television, and became agitated himself. According to one report he fired a warning shot.
10. Insufficient training
In some parts of the Philippines, such as Mindanao, hostage taking is not an uncommon occurrence, so the country has some forces that are well trained in the necessary tactics. The detachment involved in Monday's incident clearly was not, says Mr Shoebridge. After smashing the windows, one of the officers eventually put some CS gas inside, though "to what effect was not clear" he says. A unit involved in this work, needs to be "trained again and again, repeatedly practising precisely this kind of scenario," he says.
Kid Cubao
shape up, president aquino. your seeming apathy and lack of urgency when this was all happening (for instance, nasan ka nung pilit kang hinahagilap ni donald tsang?) displayed poor crisis management skills very unbecoming of a sitting president. now you're bending over backwards sending an official diplomatic delegation to hong kong to extend the country's deep regret when you should have earlier moved a lot more decisively, when we still had time and chance to end the hostage crisis in the government's favor. sabihin nyo na lahat ng gusto nyo, pero hindi ito mangyayari kung si tabako o si pandak ang nakaupo sa malacanang.
the fruit doesn't fall far off the tree, it seems.
Hong Kong-Philippines relations on edge?
By Gina Abuyuan August 26th, 2010
By Gina Abuyuan
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia
It was past 7 p.m. when Ligaya Mata, 48, a Filipino domestic helper based in Hong Kong for the past 21 years, turned on the television and saw what was to be the most horrifying 40 minutes of the 11-hour siege that happened Monday.
I regret I did not turn it on sooner, she says. But I caught it.
She and her Chinese employer, a journalist, sat through the coverage stunned and speechless. Pag may nilalabas na hostage sa bus, hiyawan kami ng amo ko (Each time a hostage was brought out from the bus, my boss and I whooped with joy)! We finally ate dinner at 10 p.m.but could not sleep.
Strained Relations
Ligaya is one of the 140,000 Filipino residents in Hong Kong who are more than worried about what effects the recent hostage tragedy will have on Filipino-Chinese relations.
Nalulungkot ako (Im very sad), she says. Hong Kong is like a second home to me. Mabait ang amo ko sa akin. Maganda ang trato nila sa amintao ang trato sa amin dito, hindi katulong (My boss treats me well. Our Chinese employers treat as wellthey treat us as people, not just the help). Ligaya adds that she and her boss even take their meals togethera rare thing in Filipino households, where the help have their own quarters to dine in.
Her daily afternoon trip to the market already has her anxious. May mga galit na sa atin (Some Chinese are already expressing their anger openly).
Nararamdaman ko mga irap nila, iba ang tingin (I could sense their sneers, they looked at me strangely), she relates.
Making Up
The growing anti-Filipino sentiment among Hong Kong nationals is understandable: eight of their people were killed in the hostage tragedy caused by an enraged ex-cop, Rolando Mendoza, who had hijacked their tour bus just before lunchtime Monday, August 23. Dismissed on alleged drug-related crimes and extortion, Mendoza demanded reinstatement into the Philippine National Police.
What ensued was a botched up SWAT operation that has the whole world outraged at the incompetency and ineptitude of the Philippine government and police force.
Mendoza died by gunshot that night, as well.
Ang katiwalian ng ating kababayaan, damay kami (the crime of one of our own countrymen affects us all), Ligaya rues. So many lives lost How will you make up for that loss?
TC Chu, a 50-something former property consultant and longtime Hong Kong resident, has one suggestion: (Make a proper) inquiry or commission. Everyone will get more and more upset if (the Philippine government) just cover (things) up and dont admit it. Emotions will run high, that can be expected, he says. I just hope no one tries to take revengethats the worst thing that could happen. But please, no more cover ups.
This couldve happened anywherein Washington, or in the U.K. It was just bad luck that it happened in the Philippines. But to a certain extent, things like this will happen to a country when it doesnt have good governance.
Albert Cheng King-hon, outspoken political commentator, former radio talk show host, and columnist for the South China Morning Post, adds, regarding the potential strain on relations: It has nothing to do with the people, we have no problem with the people, but the Philippine government is totally incompetent. Millions of people saw the unprofessional, amateur, stupid police (operation) that meant senseless deaths.
Meanwhile, Filipinos like Ligaya will make their careful way through their lives in Hong Kong. Tignan natin sa Sunday, sa simbahan, kung magbago ang pagtrato sa amin (Ill observe this Sunday, in church, if people will treat us differently). Nagagalit ako, nasasaktan ang puso ko. Nakakahiya sa ibang bansa (Im very angry, my heart hurts. What a disgrace this was to the whole world).
Gina Abuyuan is a Manila-based writer and editor. Currently section editor for Manila Bulletins Business Agenda, she has also founded and/or headed five magazines three of them parenting titles. An advocate of progressive parenting, she is mom to 6-year old twins Mateo and Marco, 13-year old Simone, and soon-to-be-stepmom to 19-year old Josh.
Hong Kong leader Tsangs phone calls stopped with President Aquinos aides
August 26, 2010 | Posted by raissa robles
Raissa Robles and Fanny W. Y. Fung
Updated on Aug 26, 2010
A South China Morning Post exclusive
[NOTE: I am posting this with the permission of my editor. Just to clarify, I did talk to foreign affairs spokesman Ed Malaya to get the department perspective but he declined to comment. ]
HK Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen
It was the case of the telephone calls that didnt get through.
An anxious Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was never put through to Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Monday. Despite at least two phone calls, Aquinos aides did not tell their head of state that Hong Kongs leader needed to speak to him.
This is how it all started:
It is 4pm the hostage crisis has lasted for more than five hours. Tsang, watching the drama unfold on television, is desperate to contact the new Philippines leader.
Some time after 4pm, Tsangs staff dial the main line to Malacanang Palace. They try again about four hours later. Both times they speak to an Aquino aide, but the president does not get the messages. Later that night, with eight Hongkongers dead, Tsang is close to tears at a press conference. He demands an explanation. I hope the Philippine government can give me a full account of what happened.
An account of that breakdown in communication between Hong Kong and Manila emerged yesterday, with Malacanang admitting it had passed on the responsibility of handling the phone calls to the Department of Foreign Affairs, according to protocol. Hong Kong, after all, does not handle foreign affairs, Beijing does. The departments envoys did not follow up that night.
Tsang eventually got to speak to Aquino the following day, after the latter had met the Chinese ambassador.
Ricky Carandang, who heads the Presidential Communications Group, said Aquino was not aware of the first call because he was in a meeting and because the call came in through the palaces main phone line with no prior notice. Carandang said the caller was an aide of Tsang, and an aide of Aquino answered the phone. He said Aquinos aide knew who Tsang was, but was unsure it was really from his office.
The palace contacted the Foreign Affairs Department to set up a phone call through Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, in what would be diplomatic protocol. Presidential spokesman Ed Lacierda said he phoned Romulos spokesman Ed Malaya to convey the request to arrange a conversation between Tsang and Aquino. No word came back, so Lacierda tried to phone Malaya again three times but could not reach him. The department declined to tell the Post why no one returned Tsangs calls that night.
After his telephone conversation with the president on Tuesday, Tsang said in a video posted on the internet: The first thing he told me was that he was sorry for not having called me back [on Monday] because he was then busy commanding the operation.
But citing unnamed sources, Filipino journalist Ellen Tordesillas had a different take on the debacle. She said Aquino had told his staff [that day] that he wont be taking any calls unless its extremely important. When Tsang called, the one who took the call didnt know who Donald Tsang was. Following the instruction, the staff member did not pass on the call to Aquino.
naalala ko tuloy yung mga swat sa philippine movies. . . ."Hoy Rolando! Sumuko ka na, napapa libutan ka na namin!" ;D ;D
naalala ko tuloy yung mga swat sa philippine movies. . . ."Hoy Rolando! Sumuko ka na, napapa libutan ka na namin!" ;D ;D
Yung iba nga ang sinisigaw: "Hoy Rolando! Sumuko ka na, napapalibutan na kita!"
Pero mas matindi kung sumagot si Mendoza ng:
"Huwag mo akong lokohin, hindi mo ako kayang palibutan.
Marami ako!"
naalala ko tuloy yung mga swat sa philippine movies. . . ."Hoy Rolando! Sumuko ka na, napapa libutan ka na namin!" ;D ;D
Yung iba nga ang sinisigaw: "Hoy Rolando! Sumuko ka na, napapalibutan na kita!"
Pero mas matindi kung sumagot si Mendoza ng:
"Huwag mo akong lokohin, hindi mo ako kayang palibutan.
Marami ako!"
Hoy Rolando....Sumuko ka na!
Hindi ako susuko!
Hindi ako si Rolando!!! ???
Kid Cubao
i would have found the earlier posts funny and entertaining, were it not for the diplomatic repercussions now being felt by the country. latest reports say that the official philippine delegation led by VP jejomar binay was turned away at beijing international airport by chinese authorities and were asked instead to bring the official report of the investigation of the rolando mendoza hostage-taking ASAP.
"No use crying over spilled milk" But, I would admit that this is a Big Lesson for our Leaders & Government Agencies! It's so sad that we just have to learn it the HARD WAY.
The treatment we received is more of our (negative) Reputation outside our country & our Economic Status compared to our Asian Neighbors.
If this incident occured in the USA, UK, France or Any other Rich Countries. Would China give the same treatment to these countries like what they did to us?
I dont think so! Mas malaki ang mawawala sa kanila (Investments). ;)
^I'd disagree with that. China's been flexing its muscles lately and has been doing things the way they want to despite criticism. The west needs them as much as they need the west.
If I were in HK/China's stead I'd do the same thing. To do so otherwise would be a slap in the face of the relatives of the victims and survivors of the incident. I think they did the right, honorable thing.
Tapos na oras for lip service and bureaucratic bullshit. It's time for the government to move, act now and show the world that this won't be just another disappointing administration.
The whole government has apologized, heads have rolled and there will be more to come. The PNP rightly so has owned the mistakes in the operations. Further investigation in various agencies are being conducted. Ano pa ba ang gusto ng Chinese govt?
I can understand the people directly affected like the relatives of the hostage victims. but the whole of HK and its govt as a whole? This is hypocrisy! Ano ba ginagawa nila sa mga HK Maids na inabuse dun? Nag-apologize ba ang govt? Bakit porket pa-isa isa lang ito at hindi on global tv?
Filipino maids burned by Hong Kong employers
Buti pa si Jacky Chan may konting pag--uunawa sa sitwasyon ng Pinoy.
Jaco D
I've been wondering....if someone else was sitting on the seat of power in Pinas, would things have turned out differently? Half of me says "probably", yet the other half says there are factors beyond the control of those in authority (not just the president but the police, local government, the media, etc.) that things would have ended up the same way.
Kid Cubao
my categorical answer: definitely YES.
^ Kunwari si Erap...? ;D
^ Kunwari si Erap...? ;D
Katakot yang tanung na yan kasi napa isip ako na maaring magawa nga ni Erap na pasukuin si Mendoza. . . . .
tama si joe, even if said in jest. again, it's the system. of course pnoy ultimately assumes responsibility. i don't think he shirked from it. did he say anything to that effect? i don't think so. and i certainly don't think he treated the whole situation with the cavalier attitude some of you guys are insinuating here.
and since we're on the issue of smile (i assume noy's smile is what's got some of you ticked off), what about elena bautista-horn's smile, which was more of a smirk, the other day? finally, she seems to be saying, an issue we can rake noy over the coals with.
this issue affects us all. so any smirking by anyone is not just uncalled for; it's downright loathsome. it's all hypothetical -- and certainly under the bridge -- thinking how some OTHER president may have handled this. maybe some of you agree with horn (funn-y appellation, 'no?) and imagine gloria may have done a better job. well, sorry. she's out. the people chose to give the job to someone else.
the damage is done, so let's do what we can so that OUR president and the rest of the bureaucracy under him can do their jobs so that if something like this happens -- and it will certainly happen again for sure -- the systems are in place to ensure lives are preserved and damage to limb and property is minimal.
^I'd disagree with that. China's been flexing its muscles lately and has been doing things the way they want to despite criticism. The west needs them as much as they need the west.
If I were in HK/China's stead I'd do the same thing. To do so otherwise would be a slap in the face of the relatives of the victims and survivors of the incident. I think they did the right, honorable thing.
Tapos na oras for lip service and bureaucratic bullshit. It's time for the government to move, act now and show the world that this won't be just another disappointing administration.
Sounds familiar when, during the Boxer Rebellion: Chinese Hard Liners were feeding the Empress with false info that the Western Power could be beaten. In 55 days, they folded up! Sure, the west needs them. But, they would be losing more in the end. What would happen to the (unemployed) hundreds of millions of chinese citizens when the Big Export Business & Investors pull out? Chaos!
Anyway, going back to the topic. Philippines, They don't have to think twice regarding their actions! Politics pa rin 8)
As it turned out it was about money all along. He wanted his retirement benefits and even told his hostages this (and I am sure the HK government would have helped). As for reinstatement, he was 55 and nearing retirement anyway. Why was that too difficult to figure out? Such a waste of innocent lives. I admire the heroism of the father who tried to stop the gunman from killing the other hostages, the teenage daughter who shielded her brother with her body ... And the orphaned kids...
^ Re retirement benefits, I was told it was roughly 2.5 million.
As it turned out it was about money all along. He wanted his retirement benefits and even told his hostages this (and I am sure the HK government would have helped). As for reinstatement, he was 55 and nearing retirement anyway. Why was that too difficult to figure out? Such a waste of innocent lives. I admire the heroism of the father who tried to stop the gunman from killing the other hostages, the teenage daughter who shielded her brother with her body ... And the orphaned kids...
So that's why one of the released (?) hostages was saying "Why don't they just give him the money (or something like that)". I was wondering what she was talking about, that demand didn't seem to make it to the news reports.
The guy was just asking what he thought was due him. He wasn't asking for, say, 20 million pesos like other kidnappers. If I were Pnoy, I would have immediately grasped the gravity of the situation i.e. FOREIGN hostages are involved. Somebody should have told him to call Donald Tsang (I think Mr. Tsang might have had something to tell Pnoy like offering money). He should have appeared even briefly on TV just to let people know that he is in charge and is concerned. IMO the guy hasn't been convicted so Pnoy could have assured him early on that his retirement benefits would be restored and his reinstatement would be reviewed. That's why hinay-hinay lang sa mga administrative action before the case is finally resolved by the courts. For just 2.5 million pesos, 8 innocent lives would have been saved.
^and open pandora's box. Every person who thinks he wasnt given his due will demand pnoy's attention. The only industry who will gain from it is the movie industry... once we had the massacre movies.. now we will be inundated with hostage stories with Carlo J. Caparas directing 17 of them. Shudder the thought...
^ And that's because he needs to prove that he deserves to be National Artist. ::)
Bchoter - Not everyone. This involved foreign hostages with huge repercussions on tourism and investors coming into the country (peace and order problem). It didn't have to be Pnoy himself but, say, the DILG or the Executive Secretary who were missing in action. In any case, this was all about little money that could have saved innocent lives. Now the government is offering "solidarity" money for the victims. This is unlike in Egypt where Islamic militants would hijack tourist buses because they hate Western tourists.
I agree with Bchoter give in to the demands and this incident will be repeated regularly in fact other criminals will have more creative ways of doing things. Each and every person who has a grievance will do this and each time the govt will be forced to give in.
Help me understand, what's so objectionable about making it appear as if the authorities are giving in to all the demands of the hostage-taker, and then subsequently reneging on those promises once he has been subdued?
Mendoza was clearly mentally unstable. He had no way of knowing or verifying if the government intended to fulfill any such promise, if given as a response to his demands. In short, kaya naman siyang bolahin, bakit hindi pa binola?
Kid Cubao
the problem is that (1) no one seems to be on top of the situation; (2) because no one seems to be in command, authorities completely forgot that there are actually police and military units expressedly trained to handle such situations, which revealed the incompetence of president aquino's inner circle; (3) there was a patent lack in resorting to creative yet practical solutions to end the crisis. ibig sabihin, the hostage rescue efforts were uncoordinated and oftentimes contraindicated.
isa pang nakakatawa sa evening news: in an attempt toward damage control, DSWD secretary dinky soliman said that contrary to popular perception, president aquino and certain cabinet members were actually holed up in emerald restaurant (which is located along the vicinity of rizal park) at the height of the hostage crisis and that it served as command center. however, when abs-cbn interviewed the restaurant manager, she said president aquino arrived shortly before 9 pm, nung tapos na ang lahat, at pagdating daw ay nag-order kaagad ng dinner. ibig sabihin, dumating sya para kumain lang? wow, it's getting worse every minute, and no end in sight, i'm afraid.
no wonder justice secretary leila de lima ordered a strict gag order pending the investigation of the botched hostage rescue attempt.
Easter - Wait until you are the hostage yourself. Would you trust the police to rescue you safely? Joke lang. Each situation is different. BUT this case could have been resolved differently. The guy's demands are for justice re his case. A letter promising to restore his retirement benefits would have calmed him down (besides as I've mentioned he hasn't been convicted yet).
Mangtsito - Nobody would trust the negotiators anymore the next time this happens AND it will happen again. Remember the boy who cried wolf?
Easter - Wait until you are the hostage yourself. Would you trust the police to rescue you safely? Joke lang. Each situation is different. BUT this case could have been resolved differently. The guy's demands are for justice re his case. A letter promising to restore his retirement benefits would have calmed him down (besides as I've mentioned he hasn't been convicted yet).
Well God forbid that will happen. I will still feel better though seeing the police there than let's say the... media!
There is a reason why governments at least as a public policy do not negotiate with hostage takers, kidnappers and terrorists. The stakes are simply too high and the psyche of future criminals so dangerous to just simply give in and let emotions run over in situations like these.
One thing I do NOT like is that China and Hong Kong are now taking this out on the Philippines as a people and as a nation. THAT is bullshit.
The actions of one demented sonovagun should not be put on the collective heads of an entire nation and people.
Should all 100 million Filipinos get down on hands and knees, heads to the floor, and beg the forgiveness of China and Hong Kong? To hell with that. And to hell with any Chinese or Hong Kong people who feel that is what is owed them.
^ Agree. A lot of Chinese nationals are making and distributing illegal drugs in this country for example...
What triggered the Carnage? Is when Rolando Medoza saw his brother being mishandled by cops on TV! According to Rolando's Brother, Mayor Lim ordered his arrest.
Mayor Lim is claiming that "Hindi ko siya pinaresto, ang sabi ko. Posasan lang siya"! Ngek...What's the difference ??? Same result!
Lest I be misunderstood, I don't agree with what the hostage-taker did. I said earlier that he should have been taken out by snipers when the opportunity was there. He put himself in that situation and he should be ready for the consequences. No need to take the chance that there would be a peaceful ending to the situation.
Re public policy and ransom payments, there are many factors that come into play. Each situation is different and should be handled accordingly.
I had talks with former high school classmate last who is now a captain in PNP last weekend. He is the one who gave me the amount of Mendoza's estimated retirement benefits.
The way I understood it, Mendoza's dismissal case is more complicated than what it seems to be on paper as routed by media. His superiors, including other govt. officials not from PNP, fast-tracked his dismissal to the extent that at least two "required" hearings/investigations were no longer made prior to his dismissal. This maybe one of the reason why it took those in-charge that day so long to decide. And maybe until now.
But still, Mendoza's means of seeking a due process is totally out of the line.
If someone do something like that in the future and the opportunity presents itself, just shoot the hostage taker. As I look back at the Peninsula drama few years back a major disaster could have happened if the government did not take an aggressive stance.
The way I understood it, Mendoza's dismissal case is more complicated than what it seems to be on paper as routed by media. His superiors, including other govt. officials not from PNP, fast-tracked his dismissal to the extent that at least two "required" hearings/investigations were no longer made prior to his dismissal. This maybe one of the reason why it took those in-charge that day so long to decide. And maybe until now.
Mukhang napaginitan si Mendoza. Ang tanong: BAKIT?
A highly decorated Policeman, suddenly gets dismissed just before he is about to retire, thereby losing his benefits. 'E sino nga ba naman ang di mag a amok nuon.'
Did Mendoza pis_ off certain powerful groups, enough to humiliate him thoroughly?
Or were his decorations and achievements gotten thru less than meritorious ways, finally catching up with him in the end? But still, that would not justify such a dismissal.
At any rate, taragis talaga itong mga organisasyon, at mga tao sa organisasyon dito sa Pilipinas. No wonder some countries are already calling us, "The Mexico of Asia", another Catholic, Spanish-colonized mess of a country.
Bakit ba hindi pa si Maria Ressa...
This news article appeared in Manila Standard yesterday:
Manila Standard Today
Monday, 30 August 2010
Lims confusing orders hit
by Manny B. Marinay
DEMORALIZATION is sweeping through the ranks of Manilas Special Weapons and Tactics team, and after they continued to take the heat for last weeks botched hostage rescue attempt in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed in Manila.
Disgruntled members of the team told the Manila Standard that Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim had issued confusing orders during the 11-hour hostage crisis.
He was calling the shots but his instructions were confusing, said one SWAT officer who requested anonymity.
He met with the crisis team at 11 a.m. and argued with them because he wanted to end the crisis pronto without thinking of the consequences.
But Lim, as crisis committee head, said he had only been trying to ensure the safety of all the hostages as ordered by President Benigno Aquino III. He told reporters he had promised the President a peaceful resolution of the hostage crisis.
Eight people died after dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza, 55, hijacked a busload of Hong Kong and Canadian tourists in Manila on Aug. 23 to seek his reinstatement, but then opened fire after releasing some of the hostages following a botched rescue attempt.
The SWAT officer said Lim, a former police chief of Manila, did not want police commandos or the members of the military Special Action Force to take part in the rescue because he wanted the credit to go to the SWAT team of the Manila Police District.
In a situation like that, you dont think of where credit should go. It should have been a composite team that assaulted the bus, but he insisted that this was Manilas Finest and rejected the proposal of the negotiators to include SAF in the attack team, the officer said.
Our hands were tied. Our commander, Chief, Inspector Santiago Pascual, was just following instructions from Director Rodolfo Magtibay who was getting orders from Lim, another SWAT member said, adding they had been positioned for an attack as early as 11 a.m.
We were ready, but the people on top were still busy arguing, the SWAT member said.
A Magtibay aide who heard the conversation between the mayor and Magtibay said Lim had asked the police chief to tell the negotiators to stop negotiating with the hostage taker so that the SWAT team could storm the bus at once.
But Magtibay told Lim that the negotiations with the hostage-taker were ongoing and raised the possibility that Mendoza would release the hostages one by one.
The aide confirmed Magtibays claim that it was Lim who ordered the arrest of Mendozas brother Gregorio, a policeman. The arrest reportedly agitated Rolando, who went berserk after watching on TV how the police were dragging away his brother.
Lim said Magtibay had called him up to apologize for telling a Senate hearing that the mayor had ordered Mendozas brother arrested.
It was a brief telephone conversation. He merely said sorry, said Lim, adding he had only ordered Gregorio Mendoza handcuffed to restrict his movements.
Yes, I ordered him to handcuff SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, but I didnt order General Magtibay to arrest him, Lim said.
He defended President Aquino, who has been accused of poor leadership, saying the President called him up at 1:30 p.m. on the day of the hostage crisis and asked him what was happening in Luneta. Aquino told him to do everything to ensure the hostages safety.
Some of the SWAT teams members have asked for transfers in the wake of last weeks tragedy.
Four of us have left and we cant show our faces to the public, A Magtibay aide said.
I just hope people will see what was happening above us. There are layers of responsibility, and this didnt start from us. We just followed orders. We were there for 16 hours, but we took the blame.
Initial autopsy reports showed that the eight Chinese tourists, three of them Canadian citizens, had likely been killed by Mendoza, who was armed with an M16 rifle and .45 caliber automatic pistol. The weapons are also standard issue to the members of the Manila SWAT team.
If the above report is true, then it all boiled down to the Manila Mayor's decision to exclude the Special Action Force and other elite units from taking out Mendoza and having the infamous MPD SWAT Team take the first and only crack at the hostage taker. Yet, he now goes to the media to wash his hands of the incident. Tsk,tsk.
IMO, this would not have been the case had the President taken a more active role to personally address the hostage crisis.
*double post*
Ito namang Philippine media ayaw pa rin tigilan o bawasan man lang ang usapin. Parang di mo na alam kung gusto nilang tumulong o ilugmok talaga ang Pilipinas.
Some media and government people, for example, are still insisting that protocol should have been followed re the phone call of Mr. Tsang who is the Chief Executive of HK. Because the Foreign Affairs of HK are handled daw by Beijing. Patay na ang kabayo kung sinunod yan at namatay na nga. Esposo, in defending Pnoy, wrote in his column today that there were two Filipino tourists who were killed by a deranged man in Beijing and the Philippines did not make an issue out of it. The two are not exactly comparable. The Beijing incident was unfortunate but the issue in the hostage taking was the handling of the incident by the government.
Re the story about Mayor Lim, all I can say is grabe if true.
Now here comes Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao who goes on record saying China hopes for "a thorough, accurate and credible investigation ...that will bring peace to the people and the demised..."
As pointed out by a batchmate of mine, "Same accuracy and credibility as the Tianenmen [Square] casualty report?" ::)
Conrado de Quiros wrote about the hostage crisis including our behavior as Filipinos. And why foreigners find it hard to understand our culture. Read it in today's Inquirer.
^ GFY, mas maganda sinulat ni Randy David today, Inquirer din.
^ I don't expect Obama to handle an ordinary hostage crisis (like the Discovery hostage-taking) because in America and other Western developed countries the institutions are functioning well. It will take time for that to happen in this country given the reasons mentioned by David. Meantime the taking hostage of the HK tourists, imo, required the intervention of at least a crisis group of capable individuals chosen by Pnoy given the huge repercussions on tourism (HK being an important neighbor) and the peace and order situation which is important to investors. Just looking at Usec Puno on TV (who was appointed by Pnoy as in-charge) made me conclude that Pnoy did not give the urgent attention that this situation deserved. Thus we have Mayor Lim, Vice Isko Moreno, the ground commander and other people not knowing exactly what should be done (though there was a lot of time for planning). The use of the elite strike force (or whatever they call it) is one example. Handling of the demand of the hostage-taker is another. Why were the PNP head or the DILG sec not directly involved?
Re the media. In the U.S. the media are not allowed at all to go near the hostage or crisis area. Thus they use helicopters to have a good view of what's happening on the ground. The police cordon off the area and no one is allowed inside. I heard on TV this FBI-trained guy say that relatives are not allowed to communicate with the hostage-taker at all. Also several media people were able to talk to the hostage-taker on the cellphone.
Thinking forward, I wonder how the SWAT teams of the PNP and the CO of SWAT training are responding to this? Has anyone talked to them of any lessons learned (if they learned anything) in this crisis? Obviously the Manila PD SWAT were not as prepared and as trained as they thought they were, and at the very least should thus undergo up-training or retraining. SWAT is still the most readily available responce unit to situations such as this. In fact the QC PD SWAT successfully handled another hostage situation in QC about three days after the Quirino Grandstand crisis. So I guess that also indicates that not all our SWAT units are inept. Thus the question remains: what are we doing to make the inept ones actually reach the lvel of desired competence?
Hostage-crisis survivor appeals for kindness toward OFWs in HK
PIA FAUSTINO, GMANews.TV
A survivor of the Manila hostage crisis has emerged as a voice of reason amidst a maelstrom of outrage, both in Hong Kong and the Philippines, over the Manila hostage-taking tragedy last August 23.
In an essay published on August 29 in the Ming Pao, a Chinese-language newspaper in Hong Kong, 36-year-old Lee Ying Chuen wrote, The way to comfort the souls of the dead is not to blame the innocent Filipina domestic helpers and the people of the Philippines. Our focus should be clearly on the Philippines government and its police. We should support the people of the Philippines to build a more trustworthy government and a more just society."
An English translation of the essay was posted on the EastSouthWestNorth, a popular blog that posts English translations of Chinese-language news articles. Portions of another translation of the essay were posted by Filipino-Chinese Joaquin Sy on his Facebook page, under a note entitled A Voice of Reason."
Lee was on vacation in Manila with her 67-year-old mother when their tour bus carrying 25 passengers was taken hostage by former policeman Rolando Mendoza. She and her mother were among the 13 Hong Kong nationals who survived the ordeal, while eight others and the hostage-taker were killed.
Dismayed by reports that Filipino maids were being insulted and even fired by their employers after the hostage-taking, Lee asked the people of Hong Kong to recall that ethnic Chinese also suffered racist discrimination when their city was still a colony of the British empire.
The Filipina domestic helpers are the victims of their incompetent government, which was unable to provide a decent living for its people. That is why so many Filipinas have to leave their families. They work to take care of other's children while leaving their own children behind," wrote Lee.
Around 150,000 Filipinos, most of whom work as domestic helpers, are based in Hong Kong. Since the hostage-taking, Filipino citizens in Hong Kong have been worried for their own safety. Lee wrote that she was appalled by calls from some Hong Kong residents to send home all Filipino domestic helpers as a form of economic punishment versus the Philippines, and by reports that Filipino maids were being insulted in the streets.
I am reminded of what the great Chinese writer Lu Xun said: When the brave gets angry, he turns his sword towards the mighty; but when the coward gets angry, he turns his sword towards the weak," she said.
Though very angry with the Philippine government and police for what happened, Lee has tried to better understand the deep-seated problems that plague Philippine society.
I realized finally that even though I had some colleagues from the Philippines, I and most Hong Kong people know almost nothing about that country We know that the Philippines is poor and that is why they export domestic workers all over the world. But how poor? I checked and I found out that one-third of its people live below the poverty line. Killings and kidnapping occur on a daily basis. Under such circumstances, why kind of life do the people have?" she wrote.
She even tried to understand the social ills that may have driven the hostage-taker to desperation.
I kept thinking about what turned a former excellent policeman into a cold-blooded killer? Why did he have to choose to take hostages in order to force the government to review his case? Is there no way of making an appeal in that country?" she wondered.
Lee closed her essay by urging Hong Kong residents to hold the Philippine government and police accountable for the bloodbath. This is how Hong Kong truly becomes a member of the international
Tsk, tsk, tsk ...
Cebu hotels forced to give 50% discount as tourist visits drop
The pinch on tourism caused by the Aug. 23 Manila hostage crisis has prompted some hotels and resorts in Cebu province to slash their rates by as much as 50 percent.
Radio dzBBs Cebu affiliate reported Saturday the Lapu-Lapu City government allowed the 50-percent discounts from September 20 to December 15.
City officials led by Mayor Paz Radaza noted a drop in the arrival of tourists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan following the hostage crisis.
On the other hand, the city government noted tourists from South Korea continue to arrive.
The city is on Mactan Island where the international airport is also located.
Eight Hong Kong tourists and their hostage-taker, dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, were killed in the 11-hour standoff.
The hostage crisis prompted Hong Kong to impose a black" travel advisory on the Philippines, discouraging all unnecessary travel to the country.
Philippine officials are conducting an investigation into the incident in a bid to restore good relations with China and Hong Kong. LBG, GMANews.TV
PAL loses P15M on trip cancellations after hostage crisis
By Judy Quiros
Inquirer Mindanao
Posted date: September 02, 2010
DAVAO CITY, PhilippinesThe countrys flag carrier Philippine Airlines suffered losses of P15 million (not $80 million as reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer) following the August 23 hostage crisis that ended in the deaths of eight visiting Chinese nationals, the airline said in a statement.
The losses were based on 1,100 cancelled bookings from Hong Kong and other parts of China.
The $80-million loss was the number quoted by [Tourism] Secretary [Alberto] Bertie Lim as the Philippines lost tourism receipts after the Quirino Grandstand tragedy, PAL said.
Speaking to reporters here, Domingo Duerme, Philippine Airlines vice president for Mindanao, said the losses came in the form of cancellations of flights for the Manila-Hong Kong route.
Citing a recent company assessment report, he said the bookings consisted of tourists from Hong Kong, Beijing, Xiamen and other parts of China.
When you speak of Hong Kong, you are referring to entire China, he said.
Duerme admitted that the hostage-taking crisis took a heavy toll on the airline but added they were optimistic about posting a rebound soon.
The situation is just temporary and will normalize in the future, he said.
As for its Davao-Hong Kong flights, Duerme said PAL also suffered re-bookings.
There were no cancellations but passengers moved their flights to later dates, he said.
The effect of the Quirino hostage bloodbath is not severely felt in Davao City, Duerme added.
In a briefer, PAL said despite the losses and negative travel advisories, it would continue to mount regular flights to Hong Kong and its other international destinations.
Duerme said that despite the chilling of relations between China and the Philippines over the hostage crisis, PAL would still consider China as its biggest market.
Recent studies showed that China overtook Japan in terms of economic recovery, he said.
Meanwhie, PAL said it has anticipated a load drip during the lean seasonusually between August and November.
As this developed, a former senator said reports about Filipino domestic helpers being thrown out by the Hong Kong employers were grossly exaggerated.
"The reports are based on a few isolated and extreme cases that have been blown out of proportion because they are sensational," Ernesto Herrera, also secretary-general of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP). With INQUIRER.net
©Copyright 2001-2010 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Good thing Magtibay went on leave on his own.
However, Magtibay said in an earlier interview that it was Alfredo "Alzheimer's" Lim who insisted that the MPD be used, so they will get all the "glory". LOL
Verzosa wanted SAF to step in but Magtibay chose SWAT
MARK D. MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TV
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa apparently wanted the Special Action Force to step into the unfolding hostage crisis at the Quirino Grandstand area in Manila, but the Manila Police District (MPD) did not heed the police chief's request.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Leocadio Santiago made the admission on Saturday during the second day of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) proceedings.
"The chief PNP expressed preference that the SAF should already be used," Santiago told members of the committee headed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
Asked if it could have already been considered an "order" coming from the PNP chief, Santiago said: "It was somewhat of an order."
Santiago said Verzosa's sentiment that SAF units should be allowed to step in was "relayed down to the district police officials."
Asked by De Lima why the MPD head, Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, insisted on using the MPD's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team instead of the SAF, Santiago said he didnt know.
In an earlier hearing at the Senate, Magtibay told senators he preferred the MPD SWAT because he thought it had enough capability to resolve the hostage crisis.
The SWAT assault resulted in the killing of dismissed ex-police officer Rolando Mendoza, the hostage-taker, but eight of the hostages also died from gunshot wounds.
The IIRC is still trying to establish which weapons had killed the hostages in the final hour of the crisis at the Quirino Grandstand.
National concern
Santiago admitted to the investigative panel that if he was given the option," he would have chosen the PNP SAF units to overcome Mendoza and to rescue the hostages.
However, Santiago stressed it was still the crisis management committee (CMC) and Magtibay as overall ground commander who called the shots during the crisis.
Santiago clarified that the hostage-taking incident was actually considered a national concern, saying that other government officials' use of the word "localized" in the first day of the IIRC hearings on Friday was a "misnomer."
Santiago said he considered the SAF, a highly specialized police force trained to deal with crisis situations and which he himself had commanded for several years, as being more superior, "more skilled and better equipped," than the SWAT team.
Roan Libarios, panel member and Integrated Bar of the Philippine governor for Eastern Mindanao, again asked Santiago why the SAF was not used in the assault if the government considered the incident of national importance.
Santiago clarified that use of the SAF is not automatic, but would depend on the needs of the SWAT, adding that the SAF was deployed in the area only as an "assistance" team.
He said he dispatched his SAF team only at past 6 p.m., almost eight hours after the crisis began, because "I wanted them to be just at hand."
Santiago said based on reports he received, no member of the deployed SAF units fired their weapons, except hurling two tear gas canisters at about 8:15 p.m.
During the hearing, committee member Teresita Ang-See asked if Magtibay's belonging to an upper class over Santiago at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) could have been a factor in Santiagos apparent reluctance to take the lead.
"On official duties, the class membership in the academy does not come in. Maybe during private matters yes, but not on official duties," Santiago replied.
Belonging to the PMA Class of 1978, Magtibay is considered an upper class official compared to Santiago, a member of PMA Class of 1979.JV, GMANews.TV
Analysis : Crisis erodes confidence in P-Noy
By Amando Doronila
Editorial Consultant
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: September 06, 2010
President Benigno Aquino III on Friday received a rude shock from the first hearing of a Malacañang committee investigating the bloody climax of the Aug. 23 hostage crisis at Luneta, forcing him to immediately reassert control of the Philippine National Police.
Fridays hearing of the presidential fact-finding committee chaired by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, and the one that followed on Saturday, unfolded a national leadership vacuum in responding to the hostage-taking that left eight of 22 Hong Kong tourists dead in a bungled police rescue action.
The hearings also revealed the Aquino administration coming unstuck by frictions between the national crisis management committee and the local crisis committee, the latter taking orders from Manila City officials led by Mayor Alfredo Lim.
Both hearings revealed that Mr. Aquino, who had been mostly invisible at the height of the crisis, had only marginal influence in making strategic decisions to end the crisis and had lost control of the situation and of the crisis management committees, as well as the key Department of Interior and Local Government, as officials of the national government, Manila city government and police units squabbled over jurisdictional issues and over tactical approaches to rescue the hostages.
In the midst of this administrative chaos, Mr. Aquino on Saturday announced that he was temporarily taking over supervision of the PNP from the DILG headed by Secretary Jesse Robredo. Mr. Aquino also announced full responsibility for the rescue fiasco, saying that at the end of the day, I am responsible for everything that has transpired.
The crisis pushed the Aquino administration close to an early Cabinet shake-up as public calls mounted for dismissal of a number of senior officials with ministerial responsibility over the police.
The heat is centered on Robredo, who faces threats from members of the Commission on Appointments of Congress that his appointment to the Cabinet might not get the commissions confirmation.
The tensions between Manila officials and the national government were revealed by Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno. He testified on Saturday before the fact-finding committee that the local crisis committee appeared to have abandoned the hostage crisis at its most crucial hours. He said he left the local committees command post at Manilas Rizal Park after Mayor Alfredo Lim had departed.
Government in disarray
The first committee hearing had more damning results in picturing the Aquino administrations disarray in responding to the crisis.
As early as July, when the President appointed Robredo as head of the DILG, he had stripped him of his supervisory powers over the PNP.
Mr. Aquino directed Robredo to concentrate on providing social services, while delegating the task of supervising the police to Interior Undersecretary Rico E. Puno, who had no experience in police supervision.
Robredo has been under fire for having failed to provide leadership in resolving the crisis. At the hearing, Robredo said he was left out of the loop in the effort to rescue the hostages.
Puno had earlier been designated by the President to handle police matters. This early carve-up of powers of the DILG led to the paralysis of the department when the crisis broke out.
At Fridays hearing, Puno revealed he had only a blurred understanding of his functions and responsibilities as deputy of Robredo, under the delineation defined by Mr. Aquino.
In reply to questions by committee members, Puno described the 11-hour Luneta standoff as a local hostage-taking situation, that could be handled by the police district director and the city mayor.
Local mind-set
In defining the hostage-taking as a local situation, Puno sought to shift the responsibility of the bungled rescue to the local crisis management committee from the national crisis committee.
Puno was not sure whether the national crisis committee or the local committee had jurisdiction.
Asked whether it occurred to him that the majority of the hostages were foreign nationals, and in the light of this fact, he would consider the event as national crisis that would give jurisdiction to the national crisis committee, he said, No, sir.
Puno also said he was not aware of the international implications of the crisis in which hostages were foreign nationals.
He further said while the national crisis committee did not consider the international ramifications of the crisis, the committee was on standby and was prepared to take over in case it was elevated to a national crisis. It was the local crisis committees call, Puno said.
De Lima was disturbed by the assessment. The mind-set was this was a local incident, she said.
This perspective influenced the level of response to the crisis.
Suggestions of cronyism
Eyebrows were raised when Puno admitted he was not trained to handle hostage situations. I am not capable of handling hostage situations, he said. I am not trained to do that.
This raised questions: If he had no experience and training on hostage situations, what was the basis of the Presidents decision to designate Puno as DILG undersecretary?
Puno is known to be a shooting buddy of the President. Both he and Mr. Aquino are gun enthusiasts. Puno was appointed interior undersecretary for peace and order on July 5. He claims he had verbal instructions from the President to oversee the PNP.
Puno said his role was to serve and give support to the police in terms of logistics and manpower. Did he do this during the crisis?
There are suggestions of cronyism or old boys network in the designation of Puno as interior undersecretary.
Puno was then Senator Aquinos consultant at the Senate committees on public order and safety and on illegal drugs from 2007 to 2009. According to a profile provided by Malacañang, Puno was responsible for the successful campaign of Senator Aquino in 2007, as he was overall ground commander during the campaign.
Best siopao in town
At the height of the hostage crisis, confusion arose over blurred jurisdictional issues involving national and local crisis committees.
A sort of command post was set up at Emerald Restaurant on Roxas Boulevard, reportedly at the behest of the President, where it was reported he visited and had conferences with Lim and PNP officials directly involved in the rescue operations.
After the standoff in the negotiations with the hostage-taker, Lim moved over to Emerald Restaurant reportedly after he was summoned by Mr. Aquino. Emerald Restaurant is reputed to have the best siopao in town.
Presidential Communications Group Secretary Hermino Coloma needlessly issued a statement that although Mr. Aquino had taken full responsibility for the bungling, he would not resign because he has a clear mandate.
No one is calling on Mr. Aquino to resign. Nonetheless, the chaos in the administrations response to the hostage massacre is eroding public confidence in the Presidents ability to cope with crises. He is losing his huge political capital of public goodwill.
©Copyright 2001-2010 INQUIRER.net, An Inquirer Company
Sam Miguel
From the Inquirer online edition - - -
You Shouldve Appealed for the Hostages, Broadcasters Told
Broadcasters who interviewed the hostage-taker who seized Hong Kong tourists inside a bus last August 23 that resulted in the death of eight should have made an appeal because there were human lives at stake, a member of the investigating body said Tuesday at the resumption of its inquiry into the carnage.
"You should have made an appeal [for the hostages]," anti-crime advocate Teresita Ang-See told Radyo Mindanao Network anchor and senior reporter Michael Rogas and Jake Maderazo.
A visibly upset Ang-See admonished the radio station for its supposed failure to observe its humane duty to prevent the bloodbath.
She pointed out that none of the anchors of RMN who interviewed the hostage-taker, dismissed police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, bothered to plead for the lives of the Chinese hostages.
During the hostage crisis, it was RMN that managed to get a line to Mendoza. The station's coverage, authorities said, could have aggravated the situation.
Didnt you think of talking to him for the release of the hostages? Apparently you had the line but you did not even bother to make an appeal to free the hostages, Ang-See said in a raised voice.
In reply, Rogas said he actually repeatedly asked Mendoza to stay calm and not to harm the Hong Kong tourists as they were trying to relay his demands to the officials of the Philippine National Police.
We really wanted to know the condition of the hostages. We are not the negotiators, Rogas stressed.
To which Ang-See replied, I know its not your role. I know that. But couldnt have you done your humane duty to do something about it? she asked.
At that time, she said the hostage-taker was still rational, saying even the chief police negotiator, Supt. Orlando Yebra, testified that the negotiation was still possible moments before Mendoza started his rampage.
Your first duty was (to care) for human lives. Thats more important, Ang-See said, adding:
No profession should ever be more important than (to save) human lives and more important than to show what was happening inside (the bus).
The Philippine broadcast media had been under siege for its treatment of the 11-hour hostage crisis, with some lawmakers proposing the enactment of a law barring live coverage of such life-threatening events.
Police officials involved in the negotiation said Mendoza suddenly snapped when he saw from the TV monitor inside the bus that his younger brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, was being arrested and bodily taken to a waiting police car.
Rogas and Maderazo aired their interview with Mendoza from 6 p.m. up to 7:55 p.m. before the shooting began.
Excerpts from the interview were:
* Mendoza talking to hostage negotiator Superintendent Orlando Yebra, explaining that the first shot he fired was a warning shot because Yebra lied about returning the gun of his brother, Senior Police 0fficer 2 Gregorio Mendoza.
*Mendoza giving a 5-minute deadline to release his brother but started to shoot after he saw on television that his brother was taken under police custody.
* Mendozas admission that he shot two of the hostages and threatened to kill the others if elements of the Special Weapons and Tactics who began to surround the bus were not pulled out.
The interview was cut several times but at around 6 p.m., Mendoza was talking on the radio, shouting and asking that his brother be released or he will shoot the hostages.
While the radio interview was being played, the observers from HongKong shed tears.
Maderazo told members of the panel to try and stay on board and that it was difficult to talk.
But Ang-See asked the two commentators if they did not see this as grandstanding.
"If there was no media reporting and there were shots, who would tell the story?" Maderazo said.
Sam Miguel
^^^ Two schools of thought on this one:
1. The radio anchor should not and could not have appealed for the hostages. First of all he is not trained in hostage crisis management and negotiation. He might have said the wrong thing, the wrong term, the wrong word, and that would have exacerbated the crisis. To ask him to appeal for the hostages might have done more harm than good. Secondly, by appealing for the hostages he might have directly interfered in the hostage negotiations that should be a police concern, and he might have been charged with aiding and abetting or obstruction of justice.
2. Since media supposedly is in "public service" especially AM radio, then he should have made an appeal for the hostages as part of his sworn duty as a media person. He wanted to be in this industry, in this job, with this radio station, then he had to take the bad along with the good. Surely throughout his career he had lambasted government and anybody else when they failed to do their duty, or where wrapped up in some anomaly. This was the perfect time for him to put his money where his mouth is, and yet he did not do anything of the sort.
So which point of view is more correct in this case?
^^^ Two schools of thought on this one:
1. The radio anchor should not and could not have appealed for the hostages. First of all he is not trained in hostage crisis management and negotiation. He might have said the wrong thing, the wrong term, the wrong word, and that would have exacerbated the crisis. To ask him to appeal for the hostages might have done more harm than good. Secondly, by appealing for the hostages he might have directly interfered in the hostage negotiations that should be a police concern, and he might have been charged with aiding and abetting or obstruction of justice.
2. Since media supposedly is in "public service" especially AM radio, then he should have made an appeal for the hostages as part of his sworn duty as a media person. He wanted to be in this industry, in this job, with this radio station, then he had to take the bad along with the good. Surely throughout his career he had lambasted government and anybody else when they failed to do their duty, or where wrapped up in some anomaly. This was the perfect time for him to put his money where his mouth is, and yet he did not do anything of the sort.
So which point of view is more correct in this case?
I think 1). Better safe than sorry.
Kid Cubao
i think it's all part of the train wreck mentality that today's sensationalistic media seems to feed on. by training they won't plead for the hostages' lives because if they did, eh di baka mawalan sila ng ibabalita. the more shrill, the better. kaya dapat mag-isip-isip na rin sila kung may patutunguhan pa ba hetong kalokohan nilang matagal nang ginagawa.
Sam Miguel
I find it so having-your-cake on the part of media that they think they share no blame in how this whole mess turned out. I especially blame the TV crews that covered the whole situation including the deployment of the SWAT team when they were ordered to take the bus.
Let's just use plain common sense: It makes more sense to err on the side of caution. So you must assume the hostage taker must have a TV or a radio or the Internet showing him the whole scene as it was unfolding from the outside including the depolyment of the SWAT team. Why then would you give the hostage taker a live real time tactical view of the deployment of the people tasked with taking him down?
Their reasoning? "We had to cover it, because if we didn't someone else would have anyway."
Sam Miguel
^^^ THAT is how media POLICES THEIR RANKS.
If there is going to be regulation on the media in terms of coverage, it should not come in the form of total censure. Because doing so, would only help the government cover up its blunders, and 'kapalpakans.'
If it were not for the media, the PNP's incompetence would've been covered up.
They could do it like CNN did: Have a time delay in the coverage. CNN has a 44 second time delay of the coverage, so the hostage taker, or anyone else monitoring the event will not have real time information on what's happening.
A minute or two time delay in terms of the "live" coverage is I think good enough.
There should be limited coverage. Even a delayed telecast by 2 minutes of, say, police movements, would still be useful to the hostage-taker after that time. Anyway the tapes would still be available later on to review the performance of the police or the officials involved.
Re the media talking to the hostage-taker, this should not be allowed at all. The media are not trained at hostage-taking and pangpagulo lang yan. Even if the hostage-taker himself requests it. Grandstanding at bibigyan lang ng forum ang mga kriminal na yan. I don't see how the media could be useful at all if they are allowed to speak to the hostage-taker. Ratings lang ang gusto nyan. Besides yun mga phone lines nagiging busy if, for example, the hostage negotiators want to urgently talk to the hostage-taker.
[quote=Schortsanitis ]
If there is going to be regulation on the media in terms of coverage, it should not come in the form of total censure. Because doing so, would only help the government cover up its blunders, and 'kapalpakans.'
Your ideas are fine but should you keep on noting down your opinions? I think one note would have been enough.
Too much of your opiniom makes you a troll. :(
^It's been a decent discussion, he's hardly being a troll - that's my one and only opinion on Schortsanitis having too many opinions.
Tapos na ang lahat, but RMN should have never been allowed or allowed themselves to interview Mendoza. How would they know if what they were saying was actually detrimental to what negotiators were doing already?
Jaco D
Sa atin ba may "rules of engagement" between the media and the authorities (military, police, etc.) during crisis situations and the like? Normally, in crisis situations the media, just like any ordinary citizen, ususero man o hindi, are not allowed beyond the yellow police tape (kung mayroon man). Dito, they seem to be in the middle of it all. This sticks out in my mind, though there are more "rules" which I can't quite remember from something I read some time ago. This reminds me of that media character from the Die Hard series who always got shafted since he always operated beyond those rules. Then again, sine lang iyon so it's not supposed to happen that way ::). That statement of Maderazo ("If there was no media reporting and there were shots, who would tell the story?") for me is pure bull-crap. It's when mere mortals start playing "God" and the Lone Ranger that the proverbial "sh_t hits the fan". Philippine media has a long way to go to in more ways than one (why do they keep on shouting when reporting the news? Ano kala nila sa atin - mga bingi?). It's just unfortunate that this incident had to happen on our shores.
Ginagawa lang daw nila ang trabaho nila. Sus...
His press people stated that although Mr. Aquino had taken full responsibility for the bungling, he would not resign because he has a clear mandate.
No one is calling on Mr. Aquino to resign. Nonetheless, the chaos in the administrations response to the hostage massacre is eroding public confidence in the Presidents ability to cope with crises. He is losing his huge political capital of public goodwill.
Simula pa lang nito. After the MRT fare increases, jueteng payola scandals in President Noynoy's backyard, and what-have-yous, we'll have enough of this guy by, say, third quarter of next year. Problem is, we don't trust the next guy in line. So its like a Mexican stand-off!!! >:(
I've believed from day one that that the shoe is too big for President Noynoy. It saddens me though that barely 100 days and I'm proven right. Now we have a trainee for a President. Kasalanan din natin. Kaya pagdusahan...
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