Sa imbestigayon na ginagawa ngayon ng Incident Investigation and Review Committee ng nangyari noong Agosto 23, mayroong mga nakakatawa na nangyari. Katulad nitong kwento ni Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador, ang deputy negotiator.
Sabi niya nahilo raw siya ng mga pasado na alas-dos kaya pumunta siya sa isang ambulansya na nakaparada malapit sa Command Post sa Rizal Park. Wala raw ammonia ang ambulansya. Ang binigay sa kanya ay ang Katinko. Yung ointment na Chinese medicine. Natawa ang mga miembro ng committee.
Aba, magaling ang katinko ha. Gamit ko rin yun kapag sumasakit ang aking ulo. Kung walang katinko, white flower. Palagi ako meron nyan sa bag ko.
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.
Rico E. Puno's photo from ABS-CBN onlinePuno, on the other hand, believed everything that the police and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim told him about the hostage situation. Lim assured him they were in control of the situation and all their strategy was “to tire him out.”
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:
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.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo today expressed his gratitude to President Benigno S. Aquino, III for absolving him of accountability on the botched police negotiations during the August 23 Manila hostage crisis.
“I appreciate the President’s clarification of my role as the one primarily in charge of local governments, rather than the police,” said Robredo. “My mandate was clear from the very start and since the directive of the President is such, we will have to comply by it,” added Robredo and further debunking a radio report today that said Robredo merely wanted local governments.
Earlier, the President defended the DILG Secretary from statements that he should not be part of the investigating team on the hostage tragedy because of his lapses as DILG chief.
Aquino said it was Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno whom he designated in charge of the police because he wanted Robredo to concentrate on the concerns of local government units.
CitroniVisiting Italian Lawyer Gabriella Citroni, in a forum marking the International Day of the Disappeared (which was actually last Monday) at the University of the Philippines, said a person disappearing does not follow logic.
“People are born, they live and they die. They don’t disappear,” she said. But it happens. In the Philippines the practice is more known as “salvaging” a cruel play on the word that means “saving”.
Citroni, a professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, has been active in the United Nations effort to ratify and eventually implement the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.
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.
Pangwalong araw na ngayon mula nang mangyari ang trahedya ng panghu-hostage sa Rizal Park kung saan namatay ang walo sa 25 turista na galing Hongkong ngunit wala pang mensahe ng pakikiramay or paghingi ng paumanhin sa pamahalaan ng Canada.
Hindi ba alam ng Malacanang o ng Department of Foreign Affairs na tatlo sa walong namatay ay Canadian citizens? Isa na namang katangahan ito kung hindi nila alam dahil napabalita sa mga diyaryo as Canada at Hongkong. Nabanggit na rin ng mga diyaryo dito as Pilipinas.
Ang tatlong Hongkong Canadian ay ang negosyateng si Ken Leung (58 taong gulang) at ang kanilang dalawang anak na babae na sina Jessie (14) at Doris (21). Nakaligtas Ang asawa ni Leung na si Amy Ng at Ang kanilang 18-taong gular na anak na lalaki na si Jason.
Inuperahan si Jason as utak dahil napukpuk raw siya ng malakas as ulo.
Dumadaan sa matinding pagsubok ngayon ang pamahalaang Aquino dahil sa trahedya na nangyari noong Lunes sa Rizal Park kung saan walong turistang galing Hongkong ang namatay sa palpak na operasyun ng pamahalaan sa panghu-hostage ng isang napatalsik na pulis.
Hindi lang ang mga pulis ang lumabas na palpak. Pumalpak rin ang Malacañang at Department of Foreign Affairs sa tawag ni Donald Tsang, chief Executive ng Hong Kong Special Administrative Region na sakop ng higanteng People’s Republic of China.
Hindi pinakausap kay Pangulong Aquino si Tsang nang tumawag ito ng hapon pa lang. Una sabi ang aide ni Aquino na nakatanggap ng tawag ay hindi kilala kung sino si Tsang. Umiba na ang linya ng Malacanang ngayon. Sabi kilala naman daw si Tsang kaya lang hindi raw sila sigurado kung si Tsang nga dahil sa trunkline tumawag at wala naman daw pasabi muna. Kaya itinuro sa Department fo Foreign Affairs.
Akala siguro ni Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, mababawasan ang sisi sa kanya sa paghingi daw ng tawad sa kanya ni Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay na siyang nagsabi na si Lim ang nag-order na arestuhin si SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, kapatid ng hostage-taker na si dating Senior Police Inspector Rolando Mendoza.
Sinabi ito ni Magtibay sa imbestigasyon ng Senado. Sang-ayon naman ang lahat na maayos ang takbo ng negosasyun sa simula at nagpalaya na nga ng ilang hostages. Nag-iba ang ihip ng hangin ng makita ni Rolando Mendoza na kinakaladkad ang kapatid niya ng mga pulis. Live ito pinapakita sa TV. May TV ang bus.
Gusto ko lang klaruhin. Hindi ko kinukunsinti ang ginawa ni Rolando Mendoza. Malaki ang kasalanan niya sa gulong ito. Ngunit lalong lumaki ang krisis dahil sa kapalpakan ng ating mga opisyal.
Our efforts to get clarification on why Hongkong Chief Executive Donald Tsang was not able to talk with President Aquino during last Monday’s hostage-taking crisis has led us to more confusion.
In his press conference Monday evening, after eight of the 22 Hongkong nationals on a sightseeing visit to the Philippines ended up dead when a dismissed policemen held them hostage for 12 hours, Tsang said “since 4pm” he had been trying to call up Aquino “but all efforts failed.”
The tragedy has resulted in diplomatic fall-outs. The Philippine consulate in Hongkong has been a scene of emotional protests from Hongkong nationals. Philippine Airlines and Manila hotels have reported cancellation of tourists reservations.
Beijing has refused to receive the top-level delegation (Vice President Jejomar Binay, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, and Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda) being sent by Aquino until such time that investigation on the tragedy is completed.
