Rleated posts:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100904-290409/Bus-hostage-taking-deemed–local-crisis
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100904-290414/Hunger-prompted-Lim-to-leave-bus-hostage-scene
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100904-290411/Reinstatement-letter-undelivered
President Aquino believed everything that Rico E. Puno, his shooting buddy that he appointed Interior Undersecretary for police matters, advised him during the Aug. 23 hostage crisis.
Puno never set foot in the crisis command headquarters, if ever there was one.
Puno said there was no TV set at the Emerald restaurant which was supposedly Lim’s command center. They were just getting reports of police by cellphone.
The above were just few of the booboos committed by those in charge of the Aug 23 hostage crisis. Here’s ABS-CBN’s report:
‘Series of errors’ uncovered in hostage tragedy
By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com
A government panel on Friday uncovered a series of errors that could have led to the bloody ending of the August 23 hostage crisis that killed 8 Hong Kong tourists.
A Department of the Interior and Local Government official assigned to supervise the country’s police force noted several lapses in the handling of the hostage crisis including: lack of crowd control, lack of control of the media and lack of equipment for the police team assigned to assault the bus held the remaining 15 hostages.
Aquino owned up responsibility for hostage crisis fiasco
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III on Friday took responsibility for “everything that has transpired” in the hostage crisis last week.
President Aquino said he actually has direct supervision of the Philippine National Police at the time since he had previously asked Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jess Robredo to concentrate on something else.
Aquino explained that when he offered the DILG portfolio to Robredo, Robredo was asked to address concerns such as coming up with a comprehensive plan on delivering social services to and relocating informal settlers in coordination with the local governments. Aquino, who held the DILG in a concurrent capacity when he assumed office, had the direct control of the PNP.
“When I got him, I did tell him, that at this point in time, we’re trying to consolidate especially with our security forces, I will retain direct supervision on the PNP, until such time that he has addressed other concerns, specifically our promises to the informal sectors of our country,” Aquino told reporters.
Aquino said at the end of the day, he was responsible for everything that happened.
DILG Undersecretary Ric Puno also admitted that he is not trained to handle hostage situations and that he deferred to the heads of the local crisis management committee on how best to handle the hostage situation in Rizal Park.
“I am not capable of handling hostage situations. I am not trained to do that. I do not have the experience to handle hostage situations,” Puno told a government panel tasked to investigate the hostage incident.
“When we are looking at the SOP in handling that, it is in the manual that the ground commander and the hostage-negotiator have full responsibility in handling the hostage-taker.”
The Incident Investigation and Review Committee on Friday started questioning various government and police officials to shed light on who is responsible for the bloody outcome of the August 23 hostage crisis that left 8 Hong Kong tourists dead.
Among those invited to the hearings were Puno, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General Jesus Verzosa, National Capital Region Police Office Chief Leocadio Santiago, Manila Police District head Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno and hostage negotiators, Superintendent Orlando Yebra and Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador.
During the hearing, Puno said the local crisis management committee was formed immediately after the hostage-taking was reported at 10 a.m. of August 23. The CMC was headed by Lim and Moreno, while MPD chief Magtibay was designated as ground commander.
Puno said he was monitoring the hostage-taking in his office before going to Malacañang to brief President Benigno Aquino III about the situation.
He said police officials were confident that the situation would be resolved peacefully since the hostage-taker, dismissed police officer Rolando Mendoza, was cooperating with the negotiators and releasing hostages.
Crisis panel wanted to save hostage-taker
Despite the presence of foreigners inside the tour bus, Puno said the local CMC considered the hostage crisis as local in nature since they were confident that the situation would be resolved peacefully.
“We did not consider that but we were already on standby. Instructions were already handed out to the different departments. The National Crisis Committee was on standby at that time if it gets elevated to a national crisis,” he said.
“We relied heavily on the assessment of the hostage negotiators and the conduct of the hostage-taker.”
Puno said the local CMC coordinated with the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the hostage-taker’s demand that extortion charges against him be dropped. He said Malacañang was not informed about the status of the negotiations between the hostage-taker and the Ombudsman, only that a letter from the Ombudsman was given to Mendoza at one point in the negotiations.
It was later learned that the Ombudsman’s letter offered Mendoza an immediate review of his case, which angered the hostage-taker.
Puno said the local CMC members, headed by Mayor Lim, were confident that police could save all the hostages including the hostage-taker.
He said this was the reason why police snipers did not fire at Mendoza despite having a clear view of the hostage-taker several times during the crisis.
“The primary purpose of the negotiations was to save everybody including the hostage-taker,” he said.
Negotiators, hostage-taker came from MPD
DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, who co-chairs the investigating committee, noted that several issues might have been factored into that decision.
He said the hostage-taker, Mendoza, was a member of the Manila Police District and that the negotiators were also from the same police district. He said some of the SWAT members assigned to storm the bus were likely to be former subordinates of the hostage-taker.
He also noted a lapse in protocol when MPD chief Magtibay was assigned dual roles during the crisis — that of ground commander of police forces assigned at the hostage scene, and as part of the crisis management committee.
This led to him leaving the hostage scene to attend a crisis management committee meeting at Emerald Restaurant at a critical stage of the negotiations, just before Mendoza started shooting hostages.
Compounding the problem at that point was that Emerald Restaurant did not have a working television, which would show the arrest of Mendoza’s brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza.
‘Tire him out’
Puno said several options were considered to resolve the situation including reinstating the hostage-taker to the police force. He said the proposal was turned down since it might encourage more hostage-takings.
At one point, he said President Aquino even wanted to go to Rizal Park because he was afraid of the potential aftermath of the crisis. He said the President was prevailed upon not to go since the hostage-taker might escalate the situation even further.
He said he left Malacañang at 6 p.m. to go to Manila Police District headquarters, not knowing that the situation would take a turn for the worse after the hostage-taker’s brother was taken into custody by police. The arrest was aired live on nationwide TV and angered the hostage-taker, who was able to watch it via a TV inside the bus.
“Up to that time, before the arrest of the brother, we were very sure. The objective then was to tire him out since all indications showed that he would release most of them. In the first few minutes of the takeover, he let go of 2 hostages who wanted to use the bathroom. There was a bathroom inside the bus but he let them go,” he said.
He said Mendoza released several more hostages, 9 in total, before the shooting started.
Puno said that after the arrest of the hostage-taker’s brother, NCRPO chief Santiago signed papers ordering the reinstatement of Mendoza to the police force.
He said Mendoza’s reinstatement was meant to assuage the hostage-taker after seeing his brother’s arrest.
“When I arrived at the WPD, [Santiago] was already signing the paper. ‘Kahit na anong mangyari, basta mapakita lang’ just to delay and eventually tire him out. That was the attempt,” he said.
Attempts to contact Mendoza, however, were in vain because the hostage-taker’s cellphone was busy, Puno said. It was later learned that the hostage-taker was being interviewed by a local radio station.
Puno said the police did not consider tapping the media to relay their message to the hostage-taker.
“The ground commander Magtibay was not able to give [the hostage-taker] the reinstatement paper because Mendoza started shooting,” he said.
Final option
Puno admitted that the option to storm the hijacked bus was considered as early as 2 p.m. when the SWAT started rehearsing how to enter the vehicle. He added that police Special Action Forces and a military Special Operations Group team were at the site, ready to lend support for the operation.
None of these specially armed groups were tapped for the assault on the bus, which started after the hostage-taker started shooting some of the hostages.
Asked if there was anything that could have been improved about the police assault of the bus, Puno said he would have wanted the police SWAT team to have been better trained and better equipped.
“Sana naman maaga namin napag-aralan. Na-train na sana namin yung tao. Na mabigyan ng kagamitan para magawa na nila yung kanilang tungkulin,” he said.
He also said he is perfectly willing to take responsibility for any lapses he might have made during the hostage crisis.
“If there are any lapses and I have to take responsibility for all of these things, I will,” he said.
This was what Puno said when asked by Teresita Ang See, member of the investigating committee, asked if there was a TV set at Emerald restaurant:
Puno: They brought a TV set, it did not work.
De Lima: Why was it considered command center?
Puno: I don’t know, we were just called there.
Ang See: How were they monitoring what was happening with the hostages?
Puno: by cellphone
Ang See: Magtibay, the gound commander, left the site to be in a place where there was no TV?
In the purest tradition of burlesque… 🙁
You put it so elegantly, Anne: “In the purest tradition of burlesque.”
OMG! No monitor in command center and only rely on cellphone? Amateurs!!! Dapat lahat ng nasa command center sibakin!!! Even ordinary citizens who wanted to get updated on what’s happening on the hostage crisis needs a TV, or at the very least a radio. Duh?!?!
If I were them, I think the best option then was to neutralize Mendoza at the earliest possible time (not necessarily shoot him dead, disabling him would be enough). I’d rather be criticized for overkill rather than be criticized for many killed.
A working TV was brought in only when President Aquino arrived, which I understand, was after Mendoza had been killed and they were already bringing the hostages out of the bus.
Really? Only after the hostages were already out of the bus?
Ellen, this is getting nightmarish every day, each report is getting garish! Ugh!
Maybe the dining officials (Mayor and DILG chief/sub-chief???) didn’t want to be turned off by the scene, afraid they might have indigestion if they hear the screams?
Sablay silang lahat pero si capt. Mendoza hindi sumablay sa mga target nya. Nakakalungkot para sa ating bansa na mapunta sa ganitong situwasyon dahil sa kagagawan ng ating matataas na opisyales ng pamahalaan at kapulisan sa mata ng buong mundo.
Kaawa-awa talaga ang isang presidente kung walang alam gaya ni PNoy, wala ng alam pati ang mga cabinet members niya wala din alam… kawawang pilipinas nagpapadala sa matatamis na salita nung tym ng kampanya. Mga bontante at bumoto sa mga administrayon PNoy magdusa kayo lalo na sa mga mahihirap.
Para sa akin INCOMPETENT sila lahat! Mga inutil!!! Sa pinakitang kabobohan ng ating mga opisyal eh lumalabas na hindi nila tayo kayang protektahan. Kung yun ngang mga dayuhan na dapat na dobleng proteksyon ang dapat ibigay dahil image ng Pinas ang nakataya ay pumalpak sila, pangkaraniwang mamamayan pa kaya. Malungkot na mga buhay ang naging kapalit. HIndi sapat na akuin lang ang sisi, dapat sa kanila SIBAKIN!!!
Bakit kailangan direktang akuin ni P-Nyoy ang kapalpakan sa hostage tragedy, eh ano pa ang silbi ng mga tauhan niya? Kaya nga importante ang pagpili at paglalalagay ng mga tauhan para sa success ng administrasyon, mapa-gobyerno, negosyo, o maski sa simpleng classroom official lang. Yung mga opisyal at mga commander ang dapat mag-training at hindi lang yung mga pangkaraniwang pulis.
Kaya direktang akuin ni noynoy dahil nagpapauto siya at siya ang namimili kung sino ang mga tauhan niya. Kung si inutil na jesse robredo pinagtatanggol pa niya.
Inutil na administrasyon!!!
Kami ang boss mo NOYNOY kaya makinig ka ok! sibakin mo ang mga inutil sa administrasyon mo.
actually the ‘command’ center could be put up anywhere during emergency, preferably closest the scene where the personnel are available in case their person are needed at the scene at the demand of the parties (this will require a mobile, well equipped trailers) Television is not necessary, but should be available (in most cases, live broadcast are not done) but there should be an open uninterrupted “live” communication between the command centre and the scene of crisis and the personnel (swat, negotiators and if possible the hostage takers).
I just hope the panel can come up with sensible recommendations at to the future preparation for such crisis and actions be taken to put to implement them. It will take a little while to get into a complete readiness (by the way, what was done to address the readiness for such emergency like the Ondoy last year?)and a follow up audit to make sure that it is not just a passing issue.
Sibakin na yung tinatawag ng Tribune na tres loros – Lacierda, Coloma and Carandang. Puwede silang tawaging La coca; la cuca in Spanish is the roach (la cucaracha). Puwede ring Carandang, Lacierda and Coloma – Calaco. Kala ko ito ang sasabihin, bakit iba ang sinasabi mo.
The problem with the “Solomonic” solution of PNoy of creating a communications group from two warring factions, is that the loyalties of the appointees are divided. They have to think not only of what is good for the President, but also what is good for the faction. The same holds true for the DILG, and the two opposing factions.
If the President appointed an outsider, then he/she will owe loyalty only to the President. Also, if for every portfolio being fought over by the factions, the President appointed an outsider, it may just force the factions to clam up, and strike a workable modus vivendi.
Noy owes Mar nothing. That “supreme sacrifice” was a prospective loser’s drivel. Mar slid down because he couldn’t win. If Noy didn’t run, Erap would have drubbed Mar.
Noy owes Binay nothing either. It is Binay who owes Noy’s mom bigtime.
Noy owes the Filipino people; because they were the ones who gave him the Presidency. I hope Noy realizes this, and stops all the shuckin’ and jivin’ lookin’ for a way to please opportunists who latched on to his Mom’s popularity to get the reins of government in the Philippines.
To echo the mother’s battle cry, “Tama na, sobra na, palitan na” ang mga NPA (non-performing asses).
Heto natatawa lang kami dito sa America. Paano kung idemanda siya ng mga relatives ng Hongkong na murder? Bakit kailangan niyang ipagtanggol ang DILG? ang sinasabi niya dahil may iba siyang pinagutos my goodness isang araw lang ang hostage uunahin pa ba ni Robredo yan. Pride kasi iniral niya kung si BINAY kasi ginawa niyang DILG. Ngayon malamang ang mga Arroyos pinagtatawanan ka na din. Kung nanay nila “I’m Sorry” ikaw “I’m responsible”.
Manila Hostage Crisis Negotiation: Inept police plus two broadcast journalists intervening in the process is recipe for disaster.
Here’s a story from a survivor:
http://midfield.wordpress.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fatmidfield.com%2F2010%2F09%2F02%2Fafter-the-bloodbath-time-to-act-time-to-lead%2F
oops…
Here’s a story from a survivor:
http://atmidfield.com/2010/09/02/after-the-bloodbath-time-to-act-time-to-lead/
Sabi ni Lim, lumipat sila sa Emerald restaurant kasi hindi pa raw siya nananghalian. So even the ones overseeing the operations were asked to report to the Emerald Restaurant. Hindi ba pwedeng nagpacater na lang ang mga ito sa kanilang kinaroroonan? When they moved to the restaurant, dun na nagwala si Mendoza.
The biggest blunder was assigning Puno to head and crisis when he did not have any training nor experience at all on hostage management.
And this Magtibay was so clueless too! Everyone assumed that someone was in charge of the crisis and in reality, no one was.
Versoza was so composed. I can not fault the man. His trip to Cagayan de Oro was a critical meeting too. I can see that the failure of his men to deliver was the main problem!
Igisa si Usec Rico Puno. Masyadong relax noon hostage fiasco. Anong klase iyang command center nila? Walang TV monitor o satelite phone. Tsibogan pala sa Emerald restaurant ang kanilang inatupag.
At least meron na palang pumuna na taga-media sa kapuwa taga-media…
(Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 28, 2010.)
Inako niya lahat to save his friends. Still, heads must roll. Otherwise, i am believing the penoy now becomes an abnoy. (A better egg becoming the rotten egg) Had Mar Roxas not given way to him, he would have been a better president.
Sabi ko nga sa kabilang thread, “I told you so!”
Noong panahon ng eleksyon kung laitin at awayin ang mga pro-Erap na tulad ko nina Perl at Henry90 ay akala mo talagang sila lang ang may karapatan at may-alam kung pakikinggan mo. Very typical of the evil este civil society.
As I mentioned, the position of the Presidency not only needs honesty and trustworthiness, along comes competence.
Sa mga yellow army, sa mga elitista at mga middle class, kahit ano sabihin ninyo, look at the numbers and be objective. The Estrada administration performed better than the 9 years of GMA.
Sa mga problemang minana ni PNoy kay GMA, ang takot ko lang ay kung kakayanin kaya ni Pnoy ang anim na taon ng problema?
Bilang Pilipino, gusto ko rin na maging succesful si PNoy alang-alang sa bayan, nguni’t sa nakita ko noong hostage crisis, mukhang ako ay kinakabahan na.
Si Lim at ang mga bugok na heneral ang may kasalanan, bakit kinakailanangang akuin ni PNoy ang kapalpakan?
Bakit mas gusto pa niyang idepensa ang kaibigang si Rico Puno na walang ka-alam alam kung pakikinggan mo ang mga sagot?
Lalo na si Dirty Harry na si Fred Lim na nagpasibak kay Mendoza at nagpahuli pa sa kapatid nito na nagsimula ng lahat ng kaguluhan?
Naknampusa, ganito bang palakad ang inaasahan nating magbibigay ng magandang kinabukasan sa sambayanan? Mukhang hindi qualified itong mga inappoint ni Pikoy, este pnoy. Ibig sabihin kaya nito e hindi rin qualified ang nag-appoint?
The incompetence lies in the people directly involved in the fiasco, as they were the ones supposedly trained for this…they were the ones who shot it out with Mendoza…Versoza, Magtibay, and the swat team…
If handling hostage situations should be a a cabinet competency (DILG, etc) then Noynoy should have appointed a former PNP official, which is challenging at this point as most police generals have been tainted with corruption…
I don’t believe any cabinet official, (was there any in the past?) has this kind of competence really. Nor a president…except maybe Ramos?
It would have been better had Robredo, Puno, and Lim manned up and took responsibility for the fiasco…it seems Noynoy is the better man, and the better friend? I cannot fathom letting your boss take the fall when you should be doing everything in your power to make him look good – it sums up your job description?
As it is, Erap is probably the only sane voice at this point, and he’s the only prominent figure protecting the president on record, as if he’s the only one, or one of the few that is aware that discrediting the president at this point is more disastrous to the country than anything else…and he’s right…
Noynoy is just following the bottomline of all the listed items in the leader’s job description – “its all my fault.”
Too bad Robredo, Puno, and Lim (who I really believed had balls) don’t seem to be aware of this…
This is as I heard someone say it but I couldn’t recall “refreshingly progressive.”
No one can say for sure who would be a better president given that we don’t know the challenges that lie ahead unless someone here is madam auring…no one can foretell the future…we can only surmise that a leader will perform his duties and make decisions based on his “belief system” his “values” as any human being will do…
I will post this again…
“In concluding it must be noted that Ethics and Leadership for Good Governance is more a creative art than a science. Its hallmark is existential practice, where one engenders virtue in self, others and society through example and virtuous conduct. Ethics and leadership is like a moral compass, which, over the long term, both personal development and the common good are best served by a moral compass that reads true.”
see more…
http://www.capam.org/_documents/walters.selmon.pdf
Live ngayon sa tv at radio ang hearing ng hostage taking, ang kapal ang mukha ni jesse robredo nag magtanong kay isko moremo. e?al din talaga ang ating presidente, hindi ginagamit ang utak… meron ba siyang utak! kasi salita ng salita hindi naman pinag aaralan yung sinasabi o yung utos ng mga cabinite niyang inutil.
PNoy nagmana ka sa tatay mo… ganyan din siya nung nabubuhay pa sa tarlac…. salita ng salita wala naman nagawang batas.
Pinagtatawanan ka ng mga pro gma at pro erap… isa kang robot na di papel… papel na diktador ng mga inutil na kabinete.
Ms. Ellen, what is the story behind the bungling SWAT team? There was supposed to be a superSWAT team also of MPD composed of better trained men, aside from the SAF team and another from AFP all on standby. Who made the choice to field this team? I mean, this is what people around the world saw, it is the portrait of all that went wrong in that incident, the source of our shame.
ricelander,
The superSWAT was just there in the sidelines, for some political considerations, they were not utilized…I understand they were better trained (foreign), better equipped and better armed…
Lim should be asked why this happened…
If people around the world at least saw a fully equipped team moving in swift, precise and deadly accuracy, one that would elicit “woohoo, ang galing”, I think our image would not be this bad despite all the booboos.
Pinagtatawanan ka ng mga pro gma at pro erap… isa kang robot na di papel… papel na diktador ng mga inutil na kabinete.
———————————-
what about pro-marcos?
Wala na dapat yang pro-pro nayan eh…dapat pro Philippines na lahat…at sana hindi na pagsisi ang dialogue kundi “ano ba ang pwede kong maitulong?”
…bakit ba pilit hatiin ang Pilipinas? tapos na ang eleksiyon, saka na lang ulit after 6 years…pwede ba?
Jug, Lim is finished testifying. It is unclear up to now… Nobody’s asking?
tama si ricelander, literally, colleagues from Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia – actually told me “your police is the laughing stock fo the whole world” or “your army is a joke” (I had to correct some people saying army that it was the police)…
Personally, deep inside, it’s depressing…especially when you are competing for recognition, as we need to assert FIlipino competence everywhere we go…and there’s an upcoming meeting na naman end of the month, panigurado anrami na namang side comments yan…sigh 🙁
…but theres nothing much to do but own up…and do what we do best – magtrabaho na lang… 🙁
Nobody’s asking?
———————-
Why don’t they ask the questions that will improve things? Why don’t they make an assessment of our security forces capabilities? I hope this comes up…
ricelander,
here’s a pic of the guys in CQB (close quarter combat training), with shorter weapons and complete gear…but we didn’t see in action…
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Image:SAF_commandos.jpg
The SAF commandos in the picture wear gas masks.
The SWAT team sent against Mendoza forgot their gas masks dahil medyo biglang bumilis ang galawan. The SWAT team weren’t wearing bulletproof vests, but this is no big deal. Level III vests don’t protect against Mendoza’s Armalite M16, anyway.
A Voice of Reason
Excerpted/ translated from a long article written by Miss Li Ying Chuan and published in the major Hong Kong newspaper Ming Bao. Miss Li was one of the survivors of the hostage taking at the Quirino Grandstand. Her 67 year old mother inhaled lots of tear gas when the police attacked the bus to rescue the hostages and was confined at the Manila Doctors Hospital.
The article, entitled “Do not turn our sword towards the weak as we seek justice for the victims”, presented a unique eyewitness account, from inside the bus, of the harrowing experiences the hostages went through. But what struck me about the article was the ending, which runs counter to the prevailing mood in Hong Kong.
“…. During our two days stay at the hospital many Philippine government officials and some other people, including the president’s youngest sister, came to visit and comfort us. To all of them I expressed my anger and demanded a thorough investigation to pinpoint responsibility, so that the victims and their relatives may get justice. The hospital staff did their very best to care for the wounded. I feel a deep gratitude towards them. I understand that they tried their best to make up for their country’s shortcomings…..
Having returned to Hong Kong, I heard a lot of anti-Filipino statements from my fellow Hong Kong residents. Some people suggested sending home all the Filipino maids and let the Philippine economy suffer, as a way of getting even, and some Filipino maids were insulted in the streets.
I understand perfectly the anger towards the ineptitude of the Philippine government and police, as I have personally experienced these. But, what has the ineptitude got to do with the Filipino people? Have we forgotten how it was to be discriminated against? Hong Kong was a colony for many years, and the ethnic Chinese suffered discrimination in daily life and the system set up by the so-called “masters”.
Now we blame the Filipino maids who really have nothing to do with the hostage taking. They are in fact the victims of their own government. It was an inept government that forced countless Filipino women to leave their own children to take care of other people’s children. Why do we now treat them as scapegoats for their government’s ineptitude? Why is it that anger and pain have turned some Hong Kong people into racists?
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.
The way to appease the souls of the victims is not to blame or vent our anger at the innocent Filipino maids in Hong Kong or the Filipino people. We must direct our anger to the Philippine government and police, from whom we must demand a thorough investigation so that those responsible get the punishment they deserve. We must also assist and care for the relatives of the victims so that they could move on with their lives. This is how we must show our concern for the departed.
In the long term, we must support the Filipino people in building a better government and a better society where justice reigns. This is the only way for Hong Kong to deserve its place in the international community as a truly humane major metropolis.”
http://www.facebook.com/add_email.php#!/note.php?note_id=157098690967144&id=100000523226892
Police ‘left on their own’ in hostage-taking fiasco
By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines – Officials overseeing a hostage crisis left their posts when a gunman who seized a busload of Hong Kong tourists stopped negotiating and began shooting.
….On Friday the inquiry was told the country’s police chief left Manila halfway through the standoff and the force’s best-trained unit sat out the bungled assault on the bus that took an hour.
…Panel member Herman Basbaño, head of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, asked Moreno if he did not rush back to the command center when the firefight between the policemen and Mendoza broke out.
“Salubungin ko ang bala? (Will I face the bullets)” Moreno said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100904-290481/Police-left-on-their-own-in-hostage-taking-fiasco
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Ellen, is this Nikko Dizon the pretty reporter you introduced before?
Our Government is Inept! If I may add inutil at korap! If our Chinese friends from Hong Kong sees this the more we pinoys should know!
Sa bawat sangay ng gobyerno ipaalam ang ating pagkadismaya sa tiwaling pamamalakad kung saan ito naroroon. Maliwanag na ipaalam sa kanila ang pagtutol sa serbisyong nakawan at pagsasamantala! Napapanahon na para isulong ang tunay na pagbabago! This is something we cannot ignore anymore dahil nakikita na at nararanasan ang epekto ng tiwalang pamamalakad at pambabalewala ng hustisya.
Pnoy, our president is leading the way for Good Governance. He said it himself and as we agree with him when we gave him the mandate to lead. Let us join him instead. Let us remain focus and continue to be vocal until heard until such time that we have a better government and a better society where justice reigns!
I just gave up watching the DOJ investigation after the “assistant” negotiator, Romeo Salvador, was interviewed. NCRPO’s Santiago is presently in the hot seat.
Salvador says there were 2 cellphones they were calling to get to Mendoza and one landline connected directly to the “ACP” (Advance Command Post?) Mendoza was also contacted via the driver’s cell, but the driver had escaped when the shooting began.
The police was complaining they were not able to talk to Mendoza because the cellphone was busy. He wouldn’t answer the landline. It was found out that he was busy talking to Rogas and Tulfo and when asked if Tulfo relayed the message about the 5-minute demand to release his brother, Salvador replied, “Andoon si Tulfo sa harap ko, nasa likod ako, may kausap siya sa cellphone nakaharap kami sa bus habang nasa Command Center, wala naman siyang sinabi tungkol doon.”
But that’s not the reason I stopped watching.
Salvador said that the other cellphone, which was provided to Mendoza by MPD, which they used to talk to him – listen to this – was mistakenly turned over by MPD to the visiting Hong Kong policemen as part of the victims’ personal belongings.
The phone carried a lot of info: timestamps which could provide exact data when, how many and how long the negotiators actually talked to him, including text messages and records of other people who may have talked with him there.
Wala na bang ilalabas na ibang katangahan iyang MPD? Ilabas na nila lahat ngayon! Pagod na kami sa kahihiyang ito.
Ma-high blood lang ako sa mga katangahan nila. Na-gets ko na naman paano nagalit si Rolando. Bahala na si DOJ Sec sa pagtukoy sa may sala.
Managot ang dapat managot. Huwag lang kalimutang isama yung 2 pakialamero mula sa RMN at mga pinuno nila. May taga-KBP pa naman sa panel!
Re #27:
No need for a cabinet office to handle hostage situations. Point though is anyone in high office should have some competency in crisis management. Puno, it seems, has none, at least in this situation. There is a difference between making a mistake and not knowing what to do, or simply being inept.
I was hoping tapos na compadre system sa admin ni pnoy. Unfortunately, the compadre system continues!
Hopefully, noynoy does not become a mere symbol of hope for good governance but actually be one who promotes and practice it.
Buti na lang nung sandaling makapakinig ako sa radyo ng sinakyan ko kanina nasa parte nang masabi ni Romeo (Salvador) ang “Katinko.”
Katinko para sa hilo
Ito na ang bago…
Ito ang pinagmulan ng init ng ulo, and the eventual carnage.
Salvador heard Mendoza tell the other person on the line, supposedly Gonzalez, “Humihingi ka pa P150,000…Kung may mamamatay, kasalanan mo ito.” Mendoza also hurled several invectives.
Office of the Ombudsman na naman.
Guess what? He is a government official of high ranking. So he may only be investigated by his own office. As the Romans say, Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who guards the guardians?
Strike two yang office na yan. The letter of Merceditas with the usual lame promise of I will look into it personally, and now, the actual case worker, who may have been asking for a bribe earlier, not at that moment.
Punta punta pa kasi sa Ombudsgirl, puwede namang i-reinstate without her approval. True, it may be questioned as illegal, on the ground that her orders cannot be countermanded by the NAPOLCOM. But the legal challenge will be made in court. Meantime, the executive has the upperhand, because it can proceed until stopped by the courts. Nakalaya na sana ang mga hostages before any Ombudsgirl legal grandstanding.
Lim and the police were saying, but if we reinstate, it may set a bad precedent. The deceased Mendoza, however, provided them with the answer, which they did not pay attention to.
So, pawalang bisa ang admin case, at sampahan ng bagong kaso for mass kidnapping. Hayun, nagtutulug-tulugan ang mga gago.
Napagod pa sa katutulog, kumain pa sa Emerald. Bakit hindi na lang umorder ng milyones na McDo, gaya ng ginawa ni Genuino of PAGCOR? Ligtas sana ang mga hostage, may naibulsa pa kayo. Ang tatanga niyo. Better ask for a seminar from the Glue boys.
Magkano kaya ang bill sa Emerald? $20,000?
Oops, here is the source.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/04/10/meddling-botched-talks-hostage-taker
Tongue and SNV, since your comments were on today’s hearings, I’ll transfer it to my next post which was also on today’s hearings.
Thanks.
Destroyer: will you be a better president than Noynoy? if so paalisin na siya at magkandidato ka>>but first may I ask you a question…what would you have done if you were in his place? who would you have appointed to head the offices? let us now all unite to make the Phil. a better place to live..where people are God fearing and will do the commands of God! we can do it…ano ang say mo Mr. Destroyer? let us not destroy but let us rebuild…what sayest thou? salamat gid!
Andres:
Mag concentrate ka na lang kaya sa pagsasaka at baka makatulong ka pa sa pag unlad ng ekonomiya at mapigilan ang pag alis ng mga kababayan natin para magpa alila sa Hong Kong. di mo pa arin matanggap na olats si Erap mo at gusto mo ring mapatalsik si Aquino katulad nang pagpapatalsik nila sa idol mo? Ganun na lang gawin natin tuwing pagkatapos ng eleksyon. Ipanalanging magkamali ng isang matindi ang mananalong pangulo na di natin ibinoto at pagbitiwin din. Di pa kayo makuntento na pinagbitiw na sina Gen Walangtibay at Verzosa? Kailangan magbitiw din si Aquino para patas lang kay Erap nyo?
Kaya ‘alila’ ang tingin ng mga dayuhan sa Pinas kasi karamihan ng mga pinapadala natin sa ibang bansa, lalo na sa Hong Kong, ay mga ‘alila’. Kaya kailangang lumundag ang Presidente ng Pinas kapag tinawagan ng ‘Governor’ ng HK kung hindi ay baka palayasin ang mga kababayang ‘alila’ natin doon. Kung sa US, UK, France o kung saang progresibong nangyari ito, sisindakin din kaya sila ni Tsang? Remember 9/11? How many foreign nationals died in the Twin Towers and the planes that crashed into them. Was the POTUS, taken into task, despite the US supposed superior intelligence and state of the art weaponry, for the cluelessness of their military and defense officials about the Al Qaeda plan? The powerful Americans were miserably helpless during those during those fateful hours! What did they do? They came together as a people, took stock of things, and comforted each other. Retribution and accountability followed later. Sa atin baligtad. Pag may nangyaring masama, banatan at bangayan muna bago tumulong. Instead of healing our scarred national psyche, walang patumanggang intrigahan at awayan ang makikita mo at mababasa araw-araw. And we as a people, are like voyeurs that enjoy the same spectacle everyday just like the telenovelas that we so love.
Until and unless, we fully realize that we are Filipinos first, we will not get anywhere. Only by respecting ourselves and the leaders we put in power will make other peoples of the world respect us as a nation. CNN and BBC will make sure of that. Criticize if we must. But be more forgiving and discerning. Stop the self-flagellation already. Only masochists love that. 😛
taken to task
@baycas, natawa rin ako sa “Katimko”. Diba para sa makating balat yun, yung kagat ng insekto? Pambihira, ginamit pantanggal ng hilo.
Kaya siguro nagkaganun yung balat ni Salvador, baka brake fluid ang ginagawang hand sanitizer.
#33
Mas okei naman kay marcos kesa sa mga sumunod sa kanya… lahat ng umagaw ng kapangyarihan gaya ni cory at gloria walang blessings sa diyos puro pahirap sa mga mamamayan.
kawawang noynoy nilaro siya ng mga malalaking isda.
kaya siguro hindi nagkakaintindihan si noynoy at mga cabinet niya kasi english ang salita nila… e pango naman kaya yun iba ibang interpretation nila, kaya yung 4 secretaries na kulangot gaya ni edwin lacierda, ricky carandang, coloma at ed malaya. gaya nung nangyari na dapat mag a attend si noynoy sa vietnam at indonesia na misinterpret… NOYNOY kami ang boss mo SIBAKIN MUNA SILA “effective immediately”.
Punta punta pa kasi sa Ombudsgirl, puwede namang i-reinstate without her approval. – ang pnp premature kung maglabas ng implementing order kung parurusahan ang pulis. sa akin nga di ko pa natatanggap ang decision may implementing order na. tanggal ka na sa serbisyo saka ka lang dadaan sa administrative remedy. (violation ng Sec. 3, Rule 19 ng NAPOLCOM Memorandum Circular No. 2007-001.
Service of Final Orders/Decisions/Resolutions. – Final orders, decision, and resolutions shall be docketed after its release by the disciplinary authority, IAS or Appellate Body and copies thereof shall be served upon the parties personally or by registered mail.
The elementary norms of due process require that the parties involved must be given notice to oppose.
But the legal challenge will be made in court. kung may pera kang pang-gastos.
maraming tayong lingkod bulsa na walang sentido komon puro yabang lang kasi nakapuwesto.
ang mga nag aaaral ng abogasya iisang libro lang ang binabasa pero iba-iba ang pananaw. ang kaso ko nga 2004 pa ang advise ng lawyer “wala tayong magagawa kundi ang maghintay” maglagay ka galaw agad ang kaso kung ayaw mo maglagay pahinog ka. masakit maglagay kapag wala kang kasalanan yung mga nai-involve na pulis sa drug case may panlagay kaya madali mapaikot ang batas.
hindi dapat matanggal si mendoza sa serbisyo kung may pera lang ang huli.
after due deliberation, the Court finds that the respondents failed to establish the existence of a law mandating the immediate execution of a decision of the Ombudsman in an administrative case where the penalty imposed is suspension for one year. The immediate implementation of the decision of the Ombudsman against petitioner is thus premature. lapid vs sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 142261 April 5, 2000.
Ellen,Ang malinaw sa akin mayron emergency response manual ang MPD. Walang nagbasa o nakaaalam mula sa mga dapat magpatupad sa manual. Sa anumang emergency response ang pinakadulong patuntunan ay magsagawa ng “full exercise” kada taon. Sa mga sagot sa IIRC malinaw na walang ganitong pag sasanay kaya lahat ng kasali ay walang maisagot na tama. Sa full exercise doon malalaman ang mga polisia at papel ng bawat nagaganap. Sana sa IIRC may kasaling nakakaintindi the incident comand or emergency response system. Wala man lang nagtanong kung ang Crisis Management Committee(CMC)- Mayor Lim at ang Ground Command Team(GCT), Gen Magtibay ay nakapagsagawa ng pagsasanay ng isang emergency response scenario. Dahil hindi, ang IIRC hearing ay ni hindi maituturing na “audit” dahil sila mismo ay walang kaalam alam sa emergency response system. Ang talagang may responsibilidad lamang ay ang CMC at GCT. Yong direktang humirang sa kanila ay command responsibility lamang. Sana isaalang alang ito ng lahat ng nag kokomento dahil nagiging masalimuot ang usapan pag hindi nababatay dito. Kung nakapagsanay ang CMC at GCT hindi ganito kapalpak ang mangyayari. Dahil hindi nakapag sanay, di nila alam ang papel at gagawin nila, BARA BARA at KANYA KANYA ang nangyari.
bakit hindi tawagin si Ombudswoman gutierrez ? siya nag ugat ng pagwawala ni Capt Mendoza.
ang gusto ni mendoza na makausap ay media kasi wala nang nakikinig sa kanya, ang ombudsman ay bingi. kanino ka hihingi ng tulong kundi sa media siguro hindi siya pinansin kaya gumawa ng eksena.
sabi ni noynoy pagugulungin ang mga ulo ang sino man responsibilidad sa hostage taking! so siya ang umako sa hostage taking kaya “ipagulong muna ang ulo mo”, tutal kaw ang nagsabi niyan.
Ayan sinindak nanaman ang isang ordinaryong masa ni Col. Henry, batch 90. Bilib na sana ako kung naiwan siya sa serbisyo at tumayo at nanindigan gaya nina Trillanes at Querubin sa gobyerno ni GMA. Sayang ang oras. Na ginugugol para magsulat at patulan ang mga tulad ko dito sa Ellenville. Tsk! Tsk!