Verzosa as ambassador to Russia?

Three days after the Aug. 23 hostage-taking fiasco that left eight tourists from Hongkong dead, the survivors were accompanied by Malacañang officials to the airport for their flight back home.

At that time, tempers were high in Hongkong against the bungling of the Philippine government that turned their compatriot’s holiday into a tragedy. The survivors and their relatives couldn’t help expressing their disgust over the post-tragedy attitude of the Aquino government. They wondered why nobody was taking responsibility. All that they were getting were excuses and justifications for the incompetence that was witnessed live by the whole world.

Despite statements of condolences, the impression that the survivors and their relatives got was, the Aquino government was not serious in making officials be accountable for the debacle. They cited the melamine scandal in China in 2008 when two persons found responsible for the contamination of the infant formula that caused the death of six babies and illness to thousands were executed.

That sentiment was relayed by a Malacañang official to officials involved in the debacle. The official said, then PNP Chief Jesus Verzosa replied, in his typical emotion-devoid manner of speaking, “Okay, I’ll let Magtibay go.”

As of that day, Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, the ground commander in that incident, had offered to go on leave while an investigation was being conducted.

A few days after, Magtibay offered to resign. Others, like Interior Secretary Rico Puno, upon unrelenting pressure from the public offered the same, offering even to take a bullet for the President. (This prompted one political observer to remark, what does he think his job is, bodyguard?)

Verzosa, opted for early retirement last Sept. 15. Even before the hostage-taking debacle, Verzosa had announced his plan to retire early. Malacañang sources said he was slated to replace Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo whom Aquino did not plan to keep for that position.

The Aug. 23 tragedy and the latest jueteng scandal may have cost Verzosa the DILG position but talks are that he may be given an ambassadorial job. One columnist suggests that he be appointed ambassador to Russia. We are sure Mrs. Verzosa would love that.

The de Lima- led Incident Investigation and Review Committee that investigated the Aug. 23 tragedy recommended that administrative proceeding be initiated against Verzosa “for Less Grave Neglect of Duty in his failure to execute lawful orders from higher authority when he failed to implement the order of the President to use the PNP Special Action Group-Crisis response Group in the assault of the hostaged bus and for his failure to monitor the crisis situation at the NCMOC as provided in the Crisis Management Committee Manual and as such respond adequately and give effect to decisive actions as may have been needed, but instead proceeding to Cagayan De Oro in the middle of the hostage crisis.”

Verzosa cannot be sure that he would be spared of criminal charges because the IIRC added that “At the same time, it is recommended that a preliminary investigation be conducted by the appropriate government agency for any possible criminal liability arising from the commission of the above offenses and in the course of the execution of his command during the hostage crisis.”

The possibility of criminal charges also hangs over the head of presidential shooting buddy Puno. Magtibay, Police Director Leocadio Santiago Jr., Police Superintendent Orlando Yebra, and Police Chief Inspector Santiago Pascual III.

With Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, the IIRC specified that criminal and administrative charges be filed against him.

We cannot understand why after forming to investigate the incident and recommend courses of action, the President has asked his legal team to review and make another recommendation.

In his trademark honesty, Aquino said he has reservations about the recommendations of the IIRC. Why, because it involved persons close to him?

If Aquino has any intention of downgrading the IIRC’s recommendations to spare some of his friends, he better think about it very, very carefully. De Lima and committee member Tessy Ang See have defended strongly their recommendations. They may not take a rebuff of their recommendations easily.

Aquino maybe creating another crisis much worse than what the government had just gone through.