This is a tragic comedy. You have a presidential aide who did not give the telephone to the President when Hongkong chief executive Donald Tsang called because he didn’t know who Tsang is.
Now you have a signed re-instatement of Mendoza by National Capital Region Police Chief Leocadio Santiago which didn’t reach the hostage taker in time because it was carried by motorcycle cop. They haven’t heard of fax machine!
From ABS-CBNnews
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo will not resign amid calls for his head to roll in the wake of the August 23 hostage crisis.
“Honestly, if I can tell myself that I was really responsible, you will not see me any minute longer in this office,” he told ABS-CBN News in an exclusive interview.
He added that he was not part of the crisis management group that led efforts to get dismissed police officer Rodolfo Mendoza to free the Hong Kong tourists held hostage inside a bus in Manila.
“I was out of the loop, really, in terms of management of that situation,” he said on Tuesday.
He watched the crisis unfold through television in his office. He said the situation had turned from bad to worse while he was attending an emergency meeting called for by President Benigno Aquino III later that night at the Emerald Restaurant in Manila.
Robredo is asking Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General Jesus Verzosa to explain why he left Metro Manila at the height of the crisis.
“(Ang) aking impression was that they looked at it as purely a police matter. Yebra was doing his job, but things did not turn out right,” Robredo added.
‘Twas Usec. Puno in crisis committee
The Palace has admitted that it assigned DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno, and not Robredo, to monitor the situation.
Puno defended Verzosa, saying the PNP chief was talking to the ground commander, Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, even while he was in Cagayan de Oro.
“We were all relaxed already. Di na namin talaga inaasahan iyon… Because all indications na makakausap si Inspector Mendoza, and hihingi siya ng isang bagay o bago namin ibigay iyan ay bigyan mo muna kami ng isang hostage.. ibibigay niya,” (We were all relaxed already. We did not expect it because all indications pointed at talking to Inspector Mendoza and he will ask for something. In exchange we will ask for a hostage to be released and he will agree),” Puno said.
He stressed that the government did not belittle the situation, as Aquino was informed about the crisis early in the morning of August 23.
“Protocol dictates na walang high government offficial na makikita doon dahil pag nakita ka doon ay humingi siya ng mas malaki at baka ma-commit. (Protocol dictates that the hostage-taker will not see any high-ranking official. Otherwise, he will only make bigger demands),” he explained.
Puno said the government had plans to give in to the hostage-taker’s demands and reinstate him in the PNP.
He said the crisis management group wanted Mendoza to become exhausted until he surrendered to police.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who led the local crisis management committee that handled the crisis, said they were willing to grant the hostage-taker’s demand.
“Gumawa nga ng sulat eh, na may order na. Pirmado si Gen. Santiago eh, na sige i-rereinstate na siya. Problema ay pinadala niya sa motorcycle cop, huli na nang dumating. (A letter was made, signed by Gen. Santiago, which will reinstate him in the police force. The problem was it was sent through a motorcycle cop who arrived late).”
Roberedo, meanwhile, said conflicting statements of various officials will be clarified once a government review committee starts its investigation into the case. – From an exclusive report by Julius Babao, ABS-CBN News
Ngayon, nakakatawa naman sila. Ang mga palusot, bulok!
Teka, teka…bakit si DILG Usec Puno ang gusto ng Palasyo na in-charge sa hostage taking, dahil sya ang bata ng paksyong Samar? At sino ang nag-assign kay Puno, si PNoy?
Kayo talaga pala sa Palasyo ang may kasalanan e dahil sa inyong lintek na paskyon-paksyon! Sa susunod, mag-assign kayo ng mga pinakamataas na awtoridad para alam namin kaagad kung sino ang titiradurin.
“We were all relaxed already. Di na namin talaga inaasahan iyon…-Puno
Kaya pala palpak e, ang aga mong nag-relax. Hmmmpt!!!!
“Kaya pala palpak e, ang aga mong nag-relax. Hmmmpt!!!!” – Chi
🙂
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As I’ve said earlier, if P-Noy keeps trying to defend those bungling officials of his. His credibility will be at stake and he’ll be no different from GMA.
Also, if the investigation of the Phil. govt and that of HK’s are not the same or at least the results are close. Well, ewan lang kung anong kalalabasan niyan. Ipagdasal nalang natin…
Ellen, This is becoming more and more turning into a horrid burlesque show! Bleeding burlesque show!
Mr Robredo, you say you were out of the loop? How could you even begin to say that and not feel remotely embarassed — DILG CHIEF out of the loop???
If you were out of the loop, why were you at the bleeding Emerald restaurant with the whole bleeding food feasting panel! The minute you showed your face there and stayed, you could not dismiss your presence with such complacence as “out of the loop”, you nig nog! I don’t believe you accepted to be “out of the loop” and if you did, why did you? The mere fact that you asked Versoza, the other bonehead, why he left the scene is proof that you couldn’t have been out of the loop — for crying out loud, you were (and still are but not for long I hope) the bleeding DILG top honcho!
What is so bloody unacceptable here is that there is not a shred, not an iota of remorse shown by Robredo for having failed to appreciate the situation?
And we expect this idiot to stay on the job?
Robredo, you are incompetent! You must be sacked!
Wag na tayong padadala dito sa isyung ito …. kahit noon pa tinitirya na itong si Robredo lalo na ang ABS-CBN at ang mga media. Di kaya may gusto silang ilagay dito sa puwestong ito? Bakit si Versoza wala bang pananagutan ito … bakit Robredo agad? Noon pa man narinig ko na si Failon at sinabi niya mismo kay Robredo habang kanyang ini-interbiyo. Hirap kasi hanggang ngayon pinagpiye-piyestahan pa ng mga Pinoy media itong isyung ito … kahit saang pahayagan. Siguro sa katagalan … ang Sto. Papa na ang sisisihin ng mga media.
Hayaan lang natin mga Igan … wala namang may gusto ang nangyari …. wala ng sisihan …
At kung itong mga tao sa media .. kung sa akala nilang tama sila … mas magaling sila … e di subukan niyo ring tumakbo sa susunod na eleksiyon .. minsan hindi na rin kayo nakakatulong sa pag-asenso sana ng ating Bayan … lalo lang niyong ibinabaon sa putikan.
“China appreciates RP government response” — PhilStar
Malinaw na tama ang ginagawa ng ating pamahalaan … at wag na natin diktahan kung anong gagawin pa nila. Bata pa ang pamahalaan natin … konting pang-unawa lang … yan lang ang mai-aambag ng bawat isa sa atin.
There had been several hostage taking incidents in countries like US and Russia but never did the US president or the Russian president play a direct role or participation in finding an end to such crisis. Neither did the secretary of US Department of Homeland Security or its Russian counterpart.
Hostage taking is a criminal act that should be handled by professional police officers even it involves foreigners.
What we know now is that we did not have the right police negotiator, the right command and control team and the right SWAT or special operations elements with the right equipment.
Gayon pala, eh bakit hindi kaagad sinabi ni Robredo na si Puno pala at hindi siya ang responsable sa mga kapulisan? Isang linggo bago nakahukay ng palusot, bumango lamang si Robredo. Magpapayat na lamang siya, nagmukha tuloy pagkain ang ipinunta niya sa Emerald.
Puro hugas kamay ang mga chief hanchos. Yung kay Mayor Lim si Isko ang gumawa ng trabaho niya and now poor Isko is one of those being blamed for the bad outcome. Yung kay Robledo, si Puno ang gumawa etc, etc. Wala daw siya sa loop! Hello! ikaw ang HEAD! You are by all accounts, the responsible man. Kahit na sabihin natin na hindi siya inassign ni Pnoy na mag-oversee ng disaster na ito, being the head, if the operations failed, Robledo could have stpped in! Yan ang masasabing LEADER! Ano ba yan? The only one I heard who said “we made mistakes” was Carandang.
Every day, iba iba ang kuwento. Turuan ng turuan. If Pnoy will not terminate these comedians, I am fully convinced that he is not right for his job. Tama ang sabi ng mga hindi bumoto sa kanya na ang posisyong “presidente” sa Pilipinas is not a job for a neophyte who had NEVER even shown some kind of LEADERSHIP. Walang panahong ma-train. He has to be hands on kaagad. Hindi lang puso at integridad ang kailangan. The president should be quick thinking and can manage. We knew that when he won, our expectations were low. He did not do an exemplary job being a legislator. How can we expect him to excel in a higher position? So kung palpak man tayo, huwag na lang tayong ngawa ng ngawa.
Grade 1 pa lang, lagpak na si Pnoy! There will be more challenges along the way. I do not know if he can deliver. Nawalan na ako ng kompiyansa. If the choices he made to head the government did not perform this time, this shows us what else to expect in the next years to come. If after the investigations and most of his cabinet members who did not do their jobs on this crisis are not terminated, then, talagang wala na siyang mukha! His rating will be a FREE FALL!
This single incident does not define one country, nor does it define one person…we must wait for due process, decisions arrived in the heat of emotion are mostly wrong…and a wrong cannot be solved by another wrong (an injustice cannot be solved by another injustice)…Its easy for us on the outside to say heads must roll, but then again, how many actually want this to happen? Maybe just us bloggers, the elite, english speaking, computer literate population? Although unscientific, I asked each taxi driver I met for the past few days (thats everyday average of two), my barber, the guys who deliver mineral water, the plumber, the tanods who go the rounds, etc… no one even commented anything about “heads rolling?” on the contrary, most say that “wala talagang magaling dun” and “ikaw ba naman babarilin kung nindi ka tatakbo?”
What if Lim is a damn good mayor, and Robredo the best DILG choice we’ll ever find?
After sobering up these past few days, I just want to see this issue end, the more we stoke the fire, the worst and more confused it will become…the media is not infallible as it depends on second hand information, lets wait for the results of the investigation…
…and lets stop this flagellation of ourselves and our policemen, the real culprit here is Mendoza and he’s met his maker already…
If we didn’t see major heads roll in the ZTE, etc, or Maguindanao incidents, why now? Looks to me as a “baited” response, a knee jerk reaction at the least…no, we go for the intelligent and educated option, the constitutional one, due process, root cause analyis, the bible, whatever it is that can be evaluated, replicated, and not just base on emotions or what we see will appease whoever it is we want to appease…we must remember, not all want this heads rolling thing, and we must also listen to them…
“listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story” – desiderata…
The most sane order I heard all week long is the assignment of de Lima on this case and the pronouncement that only she can talk about the case from here on. I hope she does not get a relapse from her pneumonia. Of all the cabinet secretaries, si de Lima lang ang competent sa tingin ko. I hope she will not fail me.
Jug, I love the “Desiderata”! Everyone should read it and be their creed. I used to have it the longest time in my office.
Jug, if I am hard on Pnoy, it is because he is a popular president. Marami siyang puwedeng baguhin sa bansa natin. But if his performance is “so-so”, wala na naman tayomg pagasa for the next 6 years. We can not just say ignore this incident. Dahil sa tingin ko, kung hindi nagkaroon ng hidwaan sa mg iba’t ibang factions ng mga supporters niya, wala sanang problema. All along we knew that there are just so many factions in his camp. Ngayon lang natin napatunayan na totoo pala ang lahat ng iyon.
Kahit na masama sa loob niya ito, he has to let go of some of his key men, only to restore his credibility. I am sorry but I do not agree with you that this is an issue of being an elite or computer savvy. This is an issue of performance. If Pnoy does not flex his muscles now, guess what will be next for him? The PLOTTERS will simply undermine him from here on and he will just be an ineffctive leader like the midget.
Yes, no heads rolled in the ZTE, Maguindanao etc but what happened to the midget? She was not able to lead. NO ONE listened to her. International leaders did not respect her either and worse, the Filipinos HATED her! With a very negative popularity, she had no impact on any aspect of her governance! Ito ba ang gusto natin kay Pnoy?
sa ating bayan maraming mga Judas…thus the word Hodasan..
…ngayon maraming naghuugas ng kanilang kamay…lumabas ang maraming Pontius Pilate…Pontio Pilato…
nakakalungkot tunay! kasi ang mga characters…Judas ang Pontius Pilate ay contrabida sa buhay ni Jesus Christ…
Yong nangyaring insidente sa atin ay puwede ring mangyari sa iba. Kagaya ng nangyari din doon sa pamilyang Pinoy na pinagtataga ng isa daw sira-ulong Intsik. Wala masyadong isyu doon,
Tanong ko lang po … yang si Mendoza … hindi ba nasisiraan din ng bait? Kung matino siya sa oras na iyon sa akala niyo ho ba gagawin niya yon.
Yong sira ulong intsik na pumatay sa kababayan natin ay walang pinag-iba dito kay Mendoza na pumatay sa mga Intsik. Nasiraan na rin siya ng bait. Mas marami nga lang pinaslang.
Hindi kagustuhan ni Pnoy at lalong hindi ini-utos ni Pnoy ang nangyari o kahit sino pa. Gawain ito ng isang nasisiraan na ng bait.
Hayaan na lang natin na lutasin ng ating Gobyerno ang problemang ito …… wag na kayong manisi pa.
(A)
I maintain (as I enumerated them here http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=12669 – “Ang Buod” and “Bigo”) …those who failed securing the hostages’ safety were:
1. Ombudsman – recalling that Rolando is already exasperated due to “9 months of inaction” of the Ombudsman and yet, in the critical time, still failed to pacify Rolando by asking him to wait a little more!!!
2. Orlando Yebra – recalling that he had “trained well” to be an expert negotiator and yet (a) he’s not in control of the situation, (b) he didn’t know the contents of the Ombudsman letter; had he’d known, it’s highly possible that he won’t let Rolando read it; (c) Gregorio’s motive is suspect in the first place when, at around 2pm, without proper coordination, he already appeared near the bus with a gun; Gregorio might have been a saving grace for the 3:30pm extension in the deadline but it’s already been supplanted by Isko’s delivery of “good news” – then why the hell was Gregorio with him when he carried the Ombudsman letter to Rolando?, and (c) according to him, when he gave the letter he’d already heard that Rolando was on a cellphone conversing with someone – then why the hell was he not curious who was on the other line? For sure, Orlando Yebra knows that “too many cooks will definitely spoil the broth.” BUT HE’S THE MAIN MAN AT THAT TIME!!! Why the hell did he allow such occurrence??? The cooks then were the Ombudsman, Gregorio, and the cellphone interviewer (later known as Michael). Where does that leave Orlando? He lost Rolando’s confidence when the latter was betrayed by the BAD-NEWS-bearing Ombudsman letter and when he was caught lying re: Gregorio’s handgun. Losing that confidence, Rolando grabbed an alternative channel through Michael!
(B)
3. Gregorio Mendoza – by helping in the cause of his brother (injecting an additional “bargain” or demand for the return of his handgun) he actually became accessory to the crime; well, this could be debatable because he denies it when later interviewed…BUT the mere fact that he’s also a cop who knows procedures, he should have stayed on the sidelines in the first place – I don’t know who ordered him to speak with Rolando to extend the 3pm deadline as I didn’t see Orlando Yebra in the video footages; Gregorio was surrounded by media people! Employing relatives can be FOR or AGAINST the resolution of a problem, but, as I said, Gregorio’s motives are suspect the first time he appeared on the scene…even in extending 30 minutes to the deadline, he was heard saying to Rolando, “Before doing any harsh moves, let me talk and explain first to the authorities about OUR gripes.” Something to that effect. Was he “sweet-talking” his brother or not? Was he lying to his brother or not? Or, all the while, he was thinking of getting back his handgun at that time???
4. Michael Rogas – he went over and beyond his call as a member of the Free Press by negotiating demands which he knows he has no authority to do; was there an official present with him to grant those demands being bombarded to him during that time? On whose authority was given for him to offer to Rolando the “negotiating service” of Erwin Tulfo? Besides, he made Rolando believe that all Rolando was demanding were effectively being conveyed to the police. (Please review the transcript.) As I said before, “Maraming hiling, hindi sa pulis nakarating!”
(C)
5. Erwin Tulfo – being officially ordered or commanded to negotiate is one thing but offering ones service to negotiate is another; he didn’t coordinate first to the police (…scrambling to “outscoop” everyone probably); the fact that he cannot go near the bus (he was cautioned not to go to the bus by the police and even his bosses at TV-5) will already be a signal that there was, in fact, NO negotiations going on and NO negotiations to take place; there was NOT even a clear and effective means of communication between Rolando and the policemen who appeared “manhandling” Gregorio on TV – which, by the way, he failed to remind police that Rolando is glued on national TV the first instance Rolando revealed that information to Michael (during the “sniper” segment of the transcript) and even reiterated by Alberto, the driver, to Michael (Alberto even mentioned Channel 7). This was way before Gregorio made a scene and was caught on cam!!! Erwin prioritized his “negotiating prowess,” neglecting his duty to alert the police of a VITAL information.
6. The RMN officials or “those behind the scenes” of Michael – they failed to coordinate with the police; they simply became bystanders. Again, “Maraming hiling, hindi sa pulis nakarating!” With this negligence too, the vital information that Rolando monitors the outside through TV was not conveyed to the police as a reminder so that the police (already inept in controlling the media) can act accordingly.
(D)
7. The SWAT team – I guess nothing more to say to them inasmuch as their leaders were sacked already…if indeed they were sacked…
8. Rodolfo Magtibay and Alfredo Lim – command responsibility dictates their blameworthiness
9. Jesse Robredo and Noynoy Aquino – if they expect blame NOT to reach them, instantly blame already their underlings; No ifs, No buts…No qualms in doing such authoritative stance; No cover-ups too!!!
10. I’m pretty sure there are others…
forgot some tags…
8. Rodolfo Magtibay and Alfredo Lim
9. Jesse Robredo and Noynoy Aquino
Pres. Manuel L. Quezon said:
“I would rather have a country run like hell by Filipinos than a country run like heaven by the Americans,…..”
The problem right now is our our country is not only run like hell but super hell by a certified retarded Filipino.
In this age of instant communication, one can’t imagine how idiots can willingly add more of the same quality in their persona such as incompetence and stupidity in their resume as those people.
Maybe there’s no fax machine inside the bus but there are so many ways and means to relay an instant message. They have their cell phones and can go on text-messaging, go live on TV or radio to communicate an urgent message to calm down an increasingly irrational behavior, but nobody ever thought about it. Maybe they thought Mendoza was just playing hide and seek and baril-barilan.
But just was the case, as Puno said, “we’ve already relaxed; di naming talaga inaasahan yon”.
To which chi commented: “Kaya pala palpak e, ang aga mong nag-relax. Hmmmpt!!!!”
And as to Robredo, may kasalanan din siya kaya lang manok siya ni Noynoy, kaya todo sangga at depensa, and so what’s do we expect?
The boss always takes care of his underlings, no matter the case maybe.
Justice Secretary De Lima is in for a cover up.
Bakit ayaw nyang sagutin ang tanong ng mga HK/Chinese journalist? Ang sinasagot nya lang ay yong tanong ng Filipino journalist?
Ang gusto ni De Lima ay magtanong yong HK journalist sa HK authorities tungkol sa crisis? E yong HK authorities nga e hindi nila alam kung anong nangyari sa crisis bakit yon ang ituturo ni De Lima?
Bakit may gag order ang PNP, NBI, at Chinese forensic experts? Ilabas and information publicly ng mga nasa taas kung ano ang findings nila at ang taongbayan ang mag de decide at hindi si De Lima.
Bakit ayaw nyang imbestigahan si Noynoy?
Itong si De Lima ay maganda ang record nya noon pero ngayon ay corrupted na sya ngayon ni Noynoy. Sayang tong si De Lima, akala nya e mga tanga ang mga Pinoy.
nagpaliwanag, nagpakumababa at nagpaumanhin na ang gobyerno natin… nakikita naman natin na maganda ang takbo ng imbestigasyon… gumagawa na din ng hakbang ipara itama at masolusyunan kung ano man ang mga pagkukulang… malaya ding nakakapaglabas ang media tungkol sa trahedya ng mga impormasyon mula mismo sa gobyerno… para sa skin maganda ang pinakikita ng kasalukuyang pamahalaan natin na karapat-dapat makatanggap ng suporta mula sa sarili nyang mamamayan…
Ibigay muna natin kay pinoy ang kanyang 1st 100 days para ayusin ang mga problema ng bayan lalong lalo na ang nangyaring hostage taking. He promised some heads gonna roll!
Kung si noy2 ay pantay pantay ang tingin nya sa tao dapat sibakin din niya si jesse robredo, alfredo lim, ed malaya, edwin lacierda, ricky carandang, atbp na sana nandoon sila sa quirino grandstand. Walang pagkakaiba si pnoy at gma dahil parehas silang mahilig kumain sa resto habang naghihirap sa pinas…. yun laang matalino si gloria si noy2 naman average walang wala.
Pnoy nagawa mong sibakin si nilo sa pagasa so gawin mo rin ang mga taong inutil na nasa kabinete mo. Otherwise mag resign na kayo lahat sa malakanyang dahil puro kayo rookie o amateurs.
Ang saglit at kagalawan ng bawat isa sa napakalaking umiikot na entablado ay ayon sa director ng isang palabas. Ang sinuman ang nakatungtong sa umiikot na entabladong ito ay may parte o papel na gagampanan maging ito man masama at mabuti.Ang halos iasng dekada ang ang ating bayan ay kinaladkad sa kahihiyan,kahirapan at papanong tayong magiging isang tanyag na bansa sa mata ng boung daigdig.Marahil wala tayo ngayon dito sa daigdig kung ginusto ng DIRECTOR ng palabas na wala tayong gagampanan,na ayon sa kanyang kagustuhan.Hindi natin mababago ang takbo ng pangyayari ayon sa nakatakdang oras.Di natin mapipigilan ang anuman ayon sa ibig ng DIRECTOR.Papano kung lahat ng ating nais ay nasunod at mas-grabe pa ang ating nasaksihan,sino pa ang ating sisihin.si DIREKTOR ba dahil iniba ang ating nasaksihan di ayon sa masidhing kagustuhan natin ang dapat sa palabas.Tayo ay may ginagampanan papel sa isang napakalaking umiinog na entablado,naa-ayon sa kagustuhan ni DIREK, pagdating ng panahon kung kaialan dapat gampanan ang kanyang parte.
Agree ako kay Dan at Perl.
Ang nangyayari yata may mga taong maiinipin sa mga dapat gawin ni Aquino VS si Aquino naman ay very deliberate. Talagang hindi magtutugma.
Noong minadali yung EO1 at pumalpak, sasabihan na ayaw pag isipan muna at nagpadalos dalos sa pagkilos. Ngayon naman minadali sa pagsibak sa mga taong involved sa hostage taking. Ang siste, ayaw madaliin ni Aquino at ang mga naiinip, naiimbyerna.
Si PNoy o Noy2 o abnoy ay isang spokeperson lamang sa malakanyang… kung ano ang sabihin yun lang ang gagawin parang robot. wala pang 100 days lahat sila nagkakalat na. hirap kay noy2 binuyo siya ng mga malalaking isda para tumakbong presidente…. nagoyo naman ang mga botante yan magdusa kayo sa taong binoto nyo.
Its been a rough start, I know…but from my experience, rough starts make for a good long term, this way you see the weaknesses and kinks and you have time to tweak the system, re structure your team…bosses who make spur of the moment decisions without deliberation normally burn themselves up midway…as far as my years of experience working for bosses (and being the boss also) it pays to think things through and at times ignore noise, but listen to wisdom…there are times when you’d think that the whole organization is against one or some members of your team and that you are going upstream defending him/her…at times you are unfairly criticized by being the only who sees the good in this person…
Some people like destroyer, xman, other reincarnations, etc, look at other people and only see the worst in them (they will never make good bosses, get fired often, and are probably wondering why they are in a rut in their careers tight now?)…some people (and if you’re fortunate enough to have a boss like one) see only the good in others, and its a matter of giving the right opportunity, the right break, and eventually they will shine…not everybody gets it right the first time…
…and insulting the collective wisdom of the electorate is shameful and moronic in itself…its because of this distorted sense of superiority that allowed people to accept the justification of ousting Erap, of tolerating Gloria’s cheating as opposed to having an “incompetent” president in Fernando Poe…
…we must not allow ourselves to be manipulated again by deceiving characters who are the worst manifestation of “elitist” mentality…
Let us give the rule of law a chance…let due process be allowed to run its course…no shortcuts…
Ellen
Is it true that Mendoza (hostage taker) was responsible for the arrest of Mayor Lim’s son who was caught in possession of drugs (the one in prison today)?
Mayor Lim apparently never forgave Mendoza for it?
Jug:
Answer is simple: We didn’t expect Gloria to do the right thing, she was all that was repugnant in a leader.
Why now? Because we expect this current president, elected to effect change, to do the right thing and not to do a Gloria repeat.
Heads must roll for one simple reason: the heads that must roll could at best only muster F gradeffor Failure.
President Aquino will be judged on his ability to be presidential, ability to weed out the inefficient and the incompetent and so far, he merely is digging into his political capital, spending it, which, if he were in business, would be a catastrophic way of doing things.
As to “What if they are the best, etc.,…?” How can they be the best when they Failed? The country cannot afford to go through another Gloria-like kind of regime by recycling the misfits on the premise that they might prove good in the long run.
Our experience with Gloria proved it ain’t true.
Pres Aquino’s debt of gratitude to these people for helping him get elected was washed away when he entrusted them with jobs that they failed to do. Full stop! (After all he’s not eyeing a second mandate, is he? So he’s got everything to gain by doing the right thing pronto!)
Pres Aquino owes them nothing but owes the people and the country everything! He ran on the platform of change, he must do it. I’m sure there are a few other good men who can do the job.
Anna, it was PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago who arrested Mayor Lim’s son. I’m not sure if Mendoza is part of the arresting team.
Oh, ok. Thanks, Mike.
I say, cut the losses, Mr President… act now.
hindi ko rin masisisi itong mga opisyales natin dahil ginutom pala kaya nag relax. ako nga kahit sa kalagitnaan ng s.. bulong ko kay mrs ay kumain muna kami bago ituloy.
AnnaDeBrux – September 1, 2010 5:58 pm
Jug:
If we didn’t see major heads roll in the ZTE, etc, or Maguindanao incidents, why now?
Answer is simple: We didn’t expect Gloria to do the right thing, she was all that was repugnant in a leader.
Why now? Because we expect this current president, elected to effect change, to do the right thing and not to do a Gloria repeat.
___
Excellent, Anna….swak na swak mo! 🙂
Baycas, salamat….meron pang itutuloy? 🙂
I am surprised wala pang nagpopost ng article ni Neal Cruz na “What really happened at the Luneta.” Neal Cruz is not an Aquino fan. Caveat lang at ang article ay ang version ni Mayor Lim sa nangyari sa Luneta.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100901-289854/What-really-happened-at-the-Luneta
Who’s telling the truth? Someone is lying here, Hmmmmm….
Jinggoy : “Binato sa akin ang passport ko ng HK immigration officer.”
Deputy Secretary for Security, Mr Ngai Wing-chit, of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR):
“There is absolutely no truth in the allegation that immigration officers had “impolitely” treated Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, son of former Philippine president Joseph Estrada, when he visited Hong Kong on Aug 27 (Fri). Mr Estrada junior came in with a group through VIP channel and he did not have contact with individual immigration officers at the immigration checkpoint.”
http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100902hed3.html
By the way, this incident was captured by HK airport CCTV camera and was shown in HK TV news.
Jesse Robredo is an honest and competent public official who wants to sincerely serve people, corrupt gov’t officials as well as crime syndicates were worried Robredo will affect their illegal activities.So they were using their stooges in congress and media to malign Robredo. Unfortunately, many well meaning individuals are wittingly or unwittingly falling into the trap of joining the fray against a good public official.
To cite one among several improvements in public service in Robredo’s less than 1 month stint in office , Robredo was able to reduce processing time of business registration from 3 weeks to just 20 minutes.
Hi Chi, thanks 🙂
Mike,
Is that right? Good grief, why did he declare that thing then? Did he think he would be in a lead role if he overacted?
If he made it up, and it can be proven that he did, Jinggoy must be nailed to the mast of a HK vessel tarred and feathered and paraded!
Anyway, would be good to see the video footing… the only way to determine who’s lying.
Yan ang trade-off ng choice of youth before experience. In situations like these, Gloria was lucky to have either Edong Ermita or Ronnie Puno (or both) by her side.
Noynoy desperately needs someone like them who are not only “book-intelligent” (if there is such a word) but also street smart. He needs to have a troubleshooter because he’s obviously not prepared to make quick decisions that can spell the difference between life and death.
The first interview in the aftermath, Noynoy said they were willing to “wait him out”. Whoever gave him the idea (that if the negotiation drags on, Mendoza will probably give himself up) is plain stupid. An armed lunatic complaining about his case that’s taking too long will be made to wait? OMG, ill-advised. But if that was his call, I’m not surprised. His style is that of the “sigurista”. Waiting for ALL facts to come in (and probably a visit to the convent, too) before he decides.
Words of my Management prof still rings, “You wait and somebody else will eat your lunch”.
NAPOLCOM Vice-Chairperson and Executive Officer Eduardo U. Escueta – also meddled in the negotiation?
He “was seen on television turning down the demands of Mendoza” (“Noynoy: Heads will roll over hostage rescue lapses” by Aurea Calica, The Philippine Star, Updated September 01, 2010 12:00 AM).
Yan ang trade-off ng choice of youth before experience. In situations like these, Gloria was lucky to have either Edong Ermita or Ronnie Puno (or both) by her side. –TT
Problem is both Edong Ermita or Ronnie Puno seems to condone the wrong, if not promoted, the abuse of Gloria and her minion while in power.
i don’t think anyone can really do anything to prevent the tragedy that leads to the death of many during the critical time of the hostage taking incident simply because someone else, not supposed to be involved, has the control of the only way to communicate with the hostage taker. Looks like interference ito in official police matter?
Lekat ng mga Lingkod-bulsa yan…dapat sibakin yan, ang daming kesyo at palusot…ang daming buhay ang natepok wala silang matinong aksyon nagawa?
Imagine, umabot ng 11 hours ang hostage drama at ngayon ang dami nilang rason…ano pa PeNOY sibakin ang mga damuho na yan.
At dapat sila ang panagutin sa kapalpakan na yan…or else di ka aabutin ng 6 years sa Malacanang, alam mo yan coz’ginawa nýo ito sa Pangulong Erap?
Kinuyog nýo ang Pangulong Erap ng dahil sa listahan ng Weteng ni Chavit…di ba mas karumaldumal e yaong mga inosenteng turista e ipinakatay nýo sa isang naghuhurumintandong Parak.
Dapat panagutin ang mga inept lingkod-bulsa, kundi sa inyong kapalpakan e di sana aabot sa malagim na senaryo ang Hostage taking na ito.
“This is a tragic comedy. You have a presidential aide who did not give the telephone to the President when Hongkong chief executive Donald Tsang called because he didn’t know who Tsang is.”
Tama yung ginawa nung aide. He screened the call, referred it to DFA. Ang nagkulang ay DFA kasi hindi nila nakontak si Tsang. Maski ba busy yun telepono ni Tsang, meron naman consul general tayo sa Hongkong who could have gone to Tsang’s office to verify the call and to arrange for another one.
By the way, a blogger reported that “there was a negative reaction in Beijing to the news that Hong Kong’s Donald Tsang had called President Aquino of the Philippines about the hostage crisis. Beijing considered it as a breach of state protocol regarding international relations: Beijing strongly felt that Tsang did not have the prerogative to do that because Beijing reserved that privilege for itself.”
Screening is necessary. Di ba nagmukhang tanga si Sarah Palin when a radio talkshow host pretending he was French President Sarkozy called her up and aired their conversation live?
Eh paano kung si Mr. Shuli o kaya si Willie Nep lang yun tumawag at nagpapanggap Donald Tsang? Dapat bang nabosesan nung aide si Tsang?
Reposting from other tread:
tru blue – September 1, 2010 1:32 pm
———————————————————–“Tanong … May nakita na ba kayong katulong na Intsik?” – tedanz
Meron…ku kunti nga lang, some of them would not admit they’re chinese, but either korean or japanese.
Reposting from other tread:
tru blue – September 1, 2010 1:47 pm
Some here blamed Mendoza for the carnage; others are pointing to the PNP, Lim, and yes; Jesse Robredo…and many more.
I’d like to accuse the driver as the culprit in this incident, pag nag day-off sana si Mr Driver…the tourist bus would have been delayed, and Mendoza could have hijacked a regular bus going to the Ilocos Region or Laguna/Batangas. Then, this would not be much of an issue kahit patay lahat and mga pasahero.
Reposting from other tread:
tru blue – September 1, 2010 2:16 pm
Firing anyone that contributed to this botched “rescue” is not the immediate answer, it will not solve anything. Rather, PNoy should give everyone an ultimate “second chance”.
It’s a very young administration, no one knew the hostage taking would escalate in this manner.
It’s quite a hard lesson.
Yes, in Paris. I had a katulong there who was full blooded Chinese (arrived from China 2 years earlier) who applied after I posted a short ad in the neigbourhood supermarket. One of her reasons for doing the job too, she said later on, was to learn to speak English 🙂
Good girl. She actually left after 10 months to go to university.
I gave her a trial period of three days and unknown to her she was in competition with a more “professional” maid who was Portuguese (and who had just done her trial period) — in the end, I liked her because she was discreet and could iron bedsheets and my husband’s shirts to perfection and more importantly, my son simply loved her Chinese soup!!! 🙂
Yes Anna, there are in fact some full blooded Chinese who works as house help here in Manila and lives in the slums of Tondo. There are Chinese who works as family drivers too.
Here is something our cops should consider using during a hostage taking incident.
Sonic Nausea Device
“Built on the same principles as the larger versions used to disperse crowds, this tiny Sonic Nausea device generates a combination of high frequency soundwaves which will cause most people in its vicinity to feel queasy or suffer from headaches, intense irritation, sweating, imbalance, nausea and if you’re really lucky, even vomiting! The nature of the sound means it’s very difficult to pinpoint where it’s coming from if hidden, and I’m going to assume on a single 9-volt battery it will run for many, many hours. $29 from Shomer-Tec.”
😛
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2010/08/31/sonic-nausea-device/
These are videos of Orlando Yebra’s interview I’ve seen 6 days ago (4 days after the incident):
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:EnWCpJilAlIJ:beta.gmanews.tv/video/65423/ub-interview-with-hostage-negotiator-supt-orlando-yebra-part-1+http://www.gmanews.tv/video/65423/ub-interview-with-hostage-negotiator-supt-orlando-yebra-part-1&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ph
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:85BMmBCsqLAJ:www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/related/65424/ub-interview-with-hostage-negotiator-supt-orlando-yebra-part-2+http://www.gmanews.tv/video/65424/ub-interview-with-hostage-negotiator-supt-orlando-yebra-part-2&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ph
Some clarifications in my account of what Orlando had said:
a. Rodolfo Magtibay and Alfredo Lim ordered Orlando, who is about to bring the Ombudsman letter to Rolando, to bring along with him Gregorio in the hope of helping to convince Rolando to give up.
b. It appears Orlando knew the contents of the Ombudsman letter prior to his delivery to Rolando.
c. When Rolando angrily turned down the “basura” letter, Orlando was quick to come up with a new bargain of “temporarily suspending the implementation of your sentence” by higher-ups. Rolando seemingly agreed at first only to become sour again due to Gregorio’s meddling.
d. Rolando thought Romeo Salvador, assistant negotiator, already returned Gregorio’s handgun. Gregorio, on the other hand, revealed that this was not the case and further “bargained” for the return of his handgun in exchange of Rolando’s cooperation with the new bargain of Orlando at that time.
e. Orlando knew that Rolando is monitoring the situation outside either from radio or TV.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/01/10/aquino-govt-scores-another-diplomatic-gaffe-source
Mike,
Is that so? I’m not surprised. My mother said she had a Chinese nanny when she was a child. I reckon not all the impoverished Chinese who emigrated to RP struck it rich and some who didn’t probably remained poor and became part of the community of poor in some areas in Manila.
Incidentally, in Malaysia, there are many Chinese household helpers too. A friend/expatriate living in Penang has a Chinese maid. My full time driver/gardener in KL was a full blooded Chinese although Malaysian — he was not Bumiputra (Malaysian Malay).
Oh Lord! sigh…
Hang on, didn’t Indonesia themselves ask to postpone the trip and not Aquino?
Yes Anna, there’s always this impression that if you’re Tsinoy you’re probably well-off. Not true, not all are like Lucio Tan, Henry Sy nor Gokongwei who have their rags to riches stories to tell, there are many who never struck it rich. There are some though who were once rich but due to mishandling of businesses inherited from parents became poor.
Sorry for the O.T.
Here is something worth observing…
Police: Gunman holds hostage in Discovery building
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_discovery_channel_gunman
mike @ 70..just heard the breaking news in the Radio, the hostage taking at the Discovery channel is over, hostages rescued, gunman dead.
correction…hostage taker been shot and his condition is not known yet…
Natapos ang hostage drama sa Maryland at puro pulis lang ang umayos. Walang Mayor, Secretaries o Pangulo ang involved dito. Bakit sa atin … ang mali ng isang sangay ng Gobyerno ay pilit na ang sinisisi ay iyong mga nasa itaas? Bakit nga kaya?
Panay ang putak ng Elena Bautista-Horn na yan. Tooting their own horns.
Despite all my misgivings about George W. Bush, his after-presidency is a class act. Wala kang nadining ni piyok. Pinababayaan dumiskarte ang pumalit; taking a page from his father, who also kept mum for the entire duration of the son’s eight-year term.
Kung talagang history will be kinder on that bi7ch, then let history do it. Elena Bautista-Horn is not history, nor a historian.
As to the current leadership, or lack of it, as some say, I will leave that for another post.
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable… — Theodore Roosevelt
Re #68, #69 Indonesia and Vietnam have already been informed by note verbale about the cancellation. I’m writing about this for tomorrow.
I find ABS-CBN’s report incomplete and did not capture the nuances of foreign relations.
Yan ang trade-off ng choice of youth before experience. In situations like these, Gloria was lucky to have either Edong Ermita or Ronnie Puno (or both) by her side. –TT
————————————-
I tend to agree here…there is also an element of naivete, the present administration seem to forget that ruling the Philippines required a Machiavellian approach…impression management as opposed to transparency, to rule with an iron fist while maintaining the image of democracy, manage the press just enough to have a semblance of press freedom…
…as we can’t handle the truth…and we are not responsible enough to have a truly democratic state as we tend to abuse our freedom…
re “heads rolling” I never said I was against it, but there should be “due process” in any school a student won’t be dimissed if he got an “F” in one test, what if he was a straight A student prior to that?
…then again, the president is also into this “heads rolling” talk…too bad, thats where I disagree with him…
…if some people must be fired (justifiably, without the benefit of a doubt), this should not be on national television, this should not be celebrated…these are human beings, they have families, they still have their lives ahead of them…at least let them leave with their dignity still intact, give them a way out…we must remember that sometime in our lives, (some more than others), we have put our lives in their hands…incompetent as they appear to be, we have been living in relative safety and comfort while they stood guard…sometimes we ask too much from them, we don’t train them, we don’t fund them, yet we demand that they put their lives in harm’s way for us…
…but its just me…if screaming, lusting for blood, hansds outstretched with thumbs down – make your day, then enjoy yourselves…I will not anymore celebrate the carnage of people’s lives…
Jug,
Agree, they must be given the opportunity to leave on their own volution — however, if they refuse to take the honourable way out and to exit from the scene of their own accord, the commander in chief is duty bound to do what is necessary, sack them, and to restore dignity in the presidency.
These men failed at their job. They refuse to admit responsibility of any sort and worse, they point to the next. The buck has to stop somewhere.
If these men really were honourable, they would spare their president further embarassment and would, at the very least take a leave of absence until such time that the investigation is over.
Nonchalance in the face of tragedy is definitely a conduct unbecoming an official who was tasked to do his job and failed in the most miserable and questionable manner. There are no two options when that happens. He offers to step down at the very least or he gets fired.
You must remember that one of the reasons why governance has been excecrable in the Philippines is because we fail to exact high moral standards of our govt public servants.
Central to the issue is about avoidance. Or, what is essential is…prevention.
Identifying the problem areas (where flaws were committed) will certainly help in coming up with preventive measures and guidelines. These then will hopefully ensure a secure environment for the living (and somehow give justice to the dead…for they died not in vain).
In recognizing the problem areas, however, culpability also needs to be established. Various degrees of blameworthiness will definitely be determined, especially distinguishing those who are only of the administrative kind and, sadly, even those who are criminal in nature.
Coffin mix-up discovered in Philippine hostage crisis
Agence France-Presse First Posted 12:44:00 09/02/2010
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100902-290126/Coffin-mix-up-discovered-in-Philippine-hostage-crisis
Right on, Baycas!
AnnaDeBrux – September 2, 2010 5:09 pm
“Kasuklam-suklam,” right!
Anna, if I may add…same reason also why government officials have been “excretable.” In Tagalog,
“Kasuka-suka”
Hi Baycas,
Thanks — very spot on ang translation mo!
Baycas, you could write a book on this hostage crisis with your interplays.
(1)
olan – September 1, 2010 11:53 pm
Let me put it this way, DZXL’s Michael (Rogas) had the opportunity to interview hostage-taker Rolando. Fine.
He also had the opportunity to end the interview when negotiator Orlando (Yebra) is about to hand-over the letter from the Ombudsman.
Yet, this is what Michael did:
(2)
What if Michael ended his interview? What if prudence took the better of him as a “journalist” on that instance of exclusive coverage? What if he stopped feeding his hunger for information or, perhaps, ceased to satisfy the public’s curiosity?
Rolando, as he turned down the Ombudsman’s offer and as he found out Orlando’s lies, could have been cut off from communicating his demands to the police because the negotiations already bogged down. Rolando is “twice” angry at that time. Rolando needed another one to trust…another one capable of conveying his demands to the proper authorities who will grant such personal wishes.
Would he send Orlando et al away or not? How would he be able to negotiate? Write notes again? How would he be able to get what he wanted without a right person to talk to?
Considering Rolando sent the negotiators away and later watched on TV how the police “manhandled” his brother, who would he command to stop the “arrest” OR ELSE he sacrifices the lives of the two hostages in front of the bus? To whom will he give such ultimatum? Would one think he’ll start the murder spree without letting anyone know the reason for it?
I believe he’ll be the one scrambling to undo what is happening and immediately talk to Orlando again…
(3)
But unfortunately, this is what happened…
(4)
(5)
The RMN guys were the ones who scrambled to undo what was happening. ‘Twas way, way too late. The rest was history…
(6)
Rolando already had two strikes: (a) the Ombusman’s unacceptable offer and (b) Orlando’s lies.
Smart guys and gals blame media for the so-called agitating video footages of the “manhandled” Gregorio, the Strike 3 – and Rolando was out…to kill.
Little did they know that the media struck another one, the final one…the Strike 4:
This is when two media personalities posed as “negotiators” which led Rolando to believe that he’s still in control and he can easily get what he wanted.
The reason for the rage that triggered the killings was actually the demands…
the commands of the-man-with-the-gun…
that were not INSTANTLY met!
personally, xman, I would rather have a retarded to run a country than one who runs it the satanic way…hindi sumusunod sa batas ng Dios…sumasamba sa kagustuhan ni Satanas. a liar, magnanakaw, responsible as the commander in chief for many killings of innocent people (remember the Maquindanao massacre? ilang media members wee killed? 57..this thing happened for a reason..and I have no doubt whatsoever that something good will come out of it..we will be better citizens, we will be a better country…but again it is all up to us…ikaw xman handa ka ba magsimula ng pagbabago?