Five tourists killed as ex-cop 

holds 25 in bus as hostages

 
Chinese officials ‘disappointed’ by PNP handling

BY EVANGELINE DE VERA
At least five tourists from Hong Kong were killed yesterday in a 10-hour standoff staged by a
dismissed Manila policeman who held hostage 25 passengers of a tourist bus at the Quirino
Grandstand in Manila.

Former Senior Insp. Rolando Mendoza, armed with an M-16 rifle and in blue police camouflage
uniform, had demanded that he be reinstated in the service.

Negotiations had been on-going for nine hours until about 7:30 p.m. when SWAT members started
an assault, first by shooting out the tires to immobilize the bus. Policemen smashed the front
windows with sledgehammers and hurled teargas canisters in the initial attempt to enter the bus.

Mendoza was killed about an hour after the assault started. His body was the first taken out of the
bus.

At that time of the assault, 15 hostages were still in the bus.

Among five brought to the Manila Doctors Hospital, four were confirmed dead and the remaining, a
woman, was in critical condition.

Two were brought to the Philippine General, one of whom was declared dead on arrival. Two more
were brought to the Ospital ng Maynila in critical condition.

As of press time, police officials were still collating data on the fatalities.

One of two policemen who were the first to get into the bus hit Mendoza’s firing hand, giving the
other policeman the chance to shoot Mendoza in the head.

Mendoza had threatened to kill the hostages in a live telephone interview with a local radio station.

"I can see there are many SWAT teams arriving, they are all around," Mendoza, speaking in Tagalog,
had said. "I know they will kill me, I’m telling them to leave because anytime I will do the same here."

Police said they shot only Mendoza. They said some of the hostages might have been shot by
Mendoza as shown by the series of gunshots heard before the assault.

Officials from the Chinese Embassy expressed disappointment with the PNP for the prolonged
incident.

Chronology:

10:15 a.m. – Mendoza took over the tourist bus

12: 15 p.m. – First batch of hostages released, including three Chinese children

3 p.m. – Deadline set by Mendoza for authorities to comply with his conditions

5:52 p.m. – Shots were heard from the bus. Mendoza went on air at RMN radio, saying that he shot
two of the Chinese hostages

7:10 p.m. – Police arrested Mendoza’s brother, SPO4 Gregorio Mendoza

7:23 p.m. – Gunshots were again heard inside the bus

7:27 p.m. – Bus driver escaped by jumping out the door

7:35 p.m. – Police closed in on the bus. More gunshots were heard. A cloud of smoke emanated from
inside the bus, apparently from a tear gas canister, prompting police to withdraw temporarily.

7:45 p.m. – Policemen again closed in and tried to break open the glass door of the bus by fastening a
rope to the door, but to no avail. A few minutes later, on national television, a man was seen slumped
in the front of the bus.

8:15 p.m. – A policeman was finally able to enter the bus, as more police teams came closer.

8:20 p.m. – Rapid succession of shots again heard from the bus, apparently from an M-16.

The incident started a little past 10 a.m. when Mendoza flagged down the Hong Thai tourist bus
(TUU-799) in Fort Santiago in the guise of hitching a ride, said Chief Insp. Erwin Margarejo, Manila
Police District spokesman.

The blue-and-white bus was on its way to the Ocean Park.

When the bus arrived at the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park at around 10:15 a.m., Mendoza
announced he was holding the passengers hostage.

"He was in uniform kaya pinasakay ng bus kaya walang namang doubt ang driver ng bus na gagawa
pala siya ng hostage taking," Margarejo said.

Margarejo said Mendoza was demanding reinstatement on the ground that he was not accorded due
process when he was dismissed from service.

Mendoza released hostages while talking with lead negotiators Supt. Orlando Yebra and Chief Insp.
Romeo Salvador.

First released were two elderly female hostages, then a mother and her two sons and a daughter.

By 2:30 pm, Mendoza had freed seven tourists and a Filipino.

Mendoza had said, via a handwritten note, that a "big deal" would happen after 3 p.m. but the
deadline passed without incident.

A ninth hostage, a Filipino photographer identified as Rigor Cruz, was later released.

Freed hostages were brought to a nearby precinct.

Margarejo said Mendoza initially demanded his full reinstatement as policeman as well as the
payment of his benefits and back salaries from the time he was dismissed by the Office of the
Ombudsman for misconduct last year.

Mendoza said the Ombudsman had yet to act on his motion for reconsideration in the administrative
case filed against him for alleged extortion.

A handwritten note was posted by Mendoza at the bus’ door. It read, "BIG DEAL WILL START
AFTER 3 PM TODAY." The deadline passed without incident.

Also stuck to the bus door was a piece of paper with the handwritten message in bold letters: "BIG
MISTAKE TO CORRECT A BIG WRONG DECISION." A larger piece of paper on the windshield
read: "RELEASE FINAL DECISION," and then what appeared to be details of his case.

During the negotiations, Mendoza asked for food for those remaining in the bus, which was
delivered, and fuel to keep the air-conditioning going during the heat.

Negotiators stood just outside the bus, talking through the driver’s window. The curtains on the bus
were drawn, but occasionally tourists, who were on the last day of their trip, pulled them back to peer
outside.

Police snipers had taken up positions around the scene.

The road was cordoned off, with the bus isolated inside the park. Several ambulances and a fire
engine were on standby.

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy said it wanted police to "take all the necessary measures to
secure the release and to protect the security and safety of our nationals."

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee told reporters authorities were very concerned
about the incident. Two officials were being sent to Manila and a hotline was being set up in Hong
Kong for families of the hostages.

While negotiations were ongoing, the Manila Police District arrested three persons, including
Gregorio Mendoza who is detailed at the MPD Traffic Bureau.

According to Gregorio, he wanted to get closer to try to convince his brother to surrender. He
likewise defended his brother against allegations of extortion.
Gregorio said his brother was upset by his dismissal from the force.

"His problem was he was unjustly removed from service. There was no due process, no hearing, no
complaint," Gregorio said.

Mendoza’s wife Aurora and another brother, Florencio, arrived at the grandstand but were prevented
from getting close to the bus.

At the start of the incident, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority closed to traffic the
north-bound lane of the Buendia flyover along Roxas Boulevard, resulting in traffic gridlocks
reaching up to Baclaran.

The MMDA Traffic Metro Base said traffic was diverted from Roxas boulevard.

Two side streets near Roxas Boulevard, Katigbak and South Drives, were also closed to vehicular
traffic.

The closure of the major thoroughfare as well as the two side streets resulted to traffic congestion at
the EDSA-Roxas Boulevard, particularly the north-bound portion going to Gil Puyat, the MMDA
said.

The roads were opened at 5:30 p.m., following complaints from motorists. –With Raymond
Africa, Jocelyn Montemayor, Ashzel Hachero and Reuters
Police, media lapses in hostage crisis cited
abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 08/24/2010 4:57 PM | Updated as of 08/24/2010 4:57 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday said police and the
media both had lapses in the handling and coverage of the 11-hour hostage crisis at Rizal Park in Manila that left 9
people dead, including the hostage-taker.

In an interview, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said Monday's hostage-taking incident showed the shortcomings of
the national police in responding to hostage situations.

"I think the police could have done better. I believe there should have been coordinated action there, hindi parang
kanya-kanyang galaw. The ground commander should have gathered everyone covering the event and told them that
the hostages are the first priority," he told radio dzMM.

He said the media erred for giving a blow-by-blow account of the hostage crisis, which could be monitored by the
hostage-taker through a TV and AM/FM radio inside the hijacked bus.

"The police had a shortcoming in failing to secure the area. The media should have been asked to limit their coverage
so that the preemptive response of the police is not lost. The hostage-taker could see what was happening on
television. Maybe we should review the protocol not just for the police but the media," he said.

Robredo said the DILG has already formed a joint task force with the Department of Justice to investigate the Quirino
Grandstand hostage crisis.

He said the bodies of the hostage victims will first undergo autopsy at the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory
as the initial step of the investigation.

Ballistic examinations will also be conducted to verify the possibility of whether the policemen on duty shot the
hostages inside the bus.

“Kailangan po nating idetermine yun para malinis yung pagsara ng kaso. Ang ayaw nating mangyari ay yung
matatapos yung kaso na walang full closure. Nais nating malaman kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari para malaman
yung accountability ng lahat”, he added.

He said the results of the task force's findings will also be shared with the Chinese government following the death of
some of the hostages.

The DILG secretary said his office was monitoring the hostage situation and communicating with Metro Manila police
chief Leocadio Santiago. He said he went to the site to help try to re-establish communication with hostage-taker
Rolando Mendoza even before the shooting started.

Hostage taker’s brother agitated the killings

Robredo said the police was in full control of the situation and freely communicating with the hostage-taker from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. At least 9 hostages were freed during that time, he noted.

He said the situation changed after the hostage-taker's brother, Gregorio Mendoza, tried to join in on the
negotiations.

"He was there at the site and he even tried to go near the bus while carrying a gun. I think they should have stopped
him or that they should have let him speak to his brother over the phone," he said.

Robredo said at least two of the hostages told him that the hostage-taker wanted to end the hostage crisis by 3 p.m.
as soon as authorities give in to his demands.

"But at 5 p.m.-5:30 p.m., the situation tightened. What I read from this is that the negotiator told Mendoza that his
brother was OK when in fact he saw on television that his brother was about to be taken by police. That's when he
started shooting," he said.

Robredo said he has yet to find out who ordered Mendoza's brother to be brought to a police station.

In a separate interview, Manila Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno said police decided to bring Mendoza's brother to Manila
Police District headquarters to stop him from further agitating the situation. Instead of complying, the traffic enforcer
ran towards the media to protest.

TV footage later showed police forcing the hostage-taker's brother into a waiting police car.

Robredo said the government investigation will try to find remedies to all the lapses in the police handling of the
hostage situation. He said this will include an inventory of police equipment used for hostage situations.

He said the DILG will also meet with the media to establish a protocol on coverage of hostage situations. "I will make
sure that after the investigation, I will meet with the media to establish a protocol. Media coverage cannot be stopped
but it can be managed," he said. 
President Aquino's statement on the Manila hostage crisis
08/24/2010 | 11:50 AM 
   
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With the rest of the Filipino people, I wish to offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims
whose lives were lost in the hostage situation at the Quirino Grandstand. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs
has conveyed our deep feelings of sorrow to the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China and the
people of Hong Kong through Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang. I have tasked Secretaries Soliman
and Lim to provide everything necessary for the recovery and return home of the survivors. I have directed
the fullest cooperation with the Hong Kong authorities on the part of our officials.

From the onset of this incident, the hostage-taker seemed to not be belligerent, as shown by the release of
hostages. These were encouraging signs.

We were going to wait him out. The idea was to let the ground commanders who are the experts in this field
handle the operation with minimal interference from people who are less expert.

But the situation deteriorated rapidly when, during the course of the negotiations, he was given the letter of
the Ombudsman in which she promised to personally review his case. As he was reading the contents of the
letter, while talking to an unknown individual on the phone, he became increasingly agitated.

The presence of his brother also added to the tension.

At this point, he threatened to kill a hostage. The police decided to remove the brother from the scene. As
the negotiators were departing, the negotiators were shot at.

Media coverage of his brother being taken into custody further agitated the hostage-taker.

Shots were fired. They seemed to be warning shots, as there was no audible indication of tumult or chaos to
show that the hostages were in immediate danger.

Nonetheless, the negotiators tried to reestablish contact with the hostage-taker but they were unsuccessful
as the cellphone of the hostage-taker was continuously busy. He also refused to answer the throw-phone
provided for him by the authorities.

The escape of the driver, combined with his reports that the hostages were being harmed, forced the assault
to happen. When the vehicle began to move, and with reports that he had hand grenades, a decision was
made to immobilize the vehicle as it would have made the situation even more dangerous.

As we know, the incident tragically ended in the deaths of eight innocent civilians.

We expect more of the facts to come to light and I have ordered Interior and Local Government Secretary
Jesse Robredo and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to thoroughly lead this review.