8 HK tourists killed in Manila hostage crisis
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE 7) - At least 8 Hong Kong tourists were killed during a dramatic hostage siege in Manila on Monday.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said 4 out of 5 hostages who were brought to the Manila Doctors Hospital were dead. It is not clear whether they were dead on arrival or expired at the hospital.
One of the 5 hostages at the Manila Doctors hospital is in critical condition, he added.
Four other hostages brought to 3 other hospitals--2 in Ospital ng Maynila, 1 in San Juan de Dios, 1 in Philippine General Hospital--were also killed, reports from radio DZMM and the Manila Health Department said.
At least 7 of 15 hostages who remained on board the hijacked tourist bus as the hostage ended were being treated in 4 hospitals.
ABS-CBN News footage showed 5 survivors emerge from the bus alive 12 hours after it was first hijacked by a dismissed police officer. The sixth survivor was unconscious.
The hostage-taker, dismissed police officer Rolando del Rosario Mendoza, was killed after a single shot to the head.
"He is dead. He was forced to retreat to the front of the vehicle when the SWAT (special weapons and tactics police) team attacked from the back," assault leader Superintendent Nelson Yabut told AFP.
The driver of the tourist bus earlier escaped from the vehicle and claimed that all the hostages on the bus were dead.
"Patay na lahat (Everyone is dead)," the driver, Alberto Lubang, told media before being escorted by police away from the scene.
Senior Superintendent Nelson Yabut, leader of the assault team, later confirmed that he saw dead bodies inside the bus.
There were at least 25 hostages on board the tourist bus, which was hijacked at around 9 a.m. Monday morning.
Mendoza freed at least 9 of the hostages before threatening an escalation of the incident by 3 p.m.
The hostage-taker earlier told a live radio broadcast Monday he had shot two of his captives and would kill the others if police did not meet his demands.
"I shot two Chinese. I will finish them all if they do not stop," he told the Radio Mindanao Network.
He added: “I can see a lot of SWAT (special weapons and tactics police) coming in. I know they will kill me. They should all leave because anytime I will do the same here.”
Hostage-taker in police uniform
The hostage drama began when the gunman boarded a bus in Manila's tourist district in a desperate bid to clear his name after being discharged for extortion in 2008.
Manila Police District spokesman Erwin Margarejo said Mendoza was wearing his uniform and carrying a rifle when he flagged down the tourist bus at Fort Santiago and asked for a ride.
A tour guide tried to stop him from boarding the Hong Thai travel bus, which was en route to Rizal Park. Officials said the bus was carrying some 22 tourists from Hong Kong and 3 Filipino nationals when it was taken hostage by Mendoza.
The hostage-taker was removed from the police force after 31 years of service due to his involvement in an extortion incident in Manila. He was dismissed from the service following a recommendation from the Office of the Ombudsman.
Mendoza reportedly hijacked the tourist bus to force authorities to fast-track a review of his administrative case. He also wants to be reinstated to the service and all benefits and privileges restored, police said.
His brother said Mendoza is protesting the Ombudsman's decision since the internal affairs service of the Philippine National Police had already ruled that he is innocent of the crime. "She's [Ombudsman] biased," Senior Police Officer 2 Gregorio Mendoza told reporters.
Mendoza's brother arrested
The hostage-taker's brother was forcibly handcuffed and taken in by authorities for allegedly being an accessory to the crime.
Gregorio Mendoza tried to resist his apparent arrest after negotiations with his brother did not go as planned.
"They want to make me an accessory. They said that if something happened, they would get me for it. Gusto nila akong idaan sa likod. Tumakbo lang ako," he told ABS-CBN's TV Patrol minutes before police placed him and other relatives inside a waiting police car.
Mendoza earlier accompanied the 2 hostage negotiators, Superintendent Orlando Yebra Jr. and Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador, in talking to his brother.
He earlier said that he had no knowledge of the hostage-taking incident and was only informed of the situation via text. -- With Agence France-Presse
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stop
stop passing the buck!!! do the unpartial investigation para matapos na agad!!
Bayan…
- Pwede bang maging proud nalang tayo para kay Venus Raj, sa naibigay niyang karangalan sa bansa. Tigilan na ang mga pang iinsulto na kala mo kung sino kayong magaling..
- Pwede bang huwag nyong isisi, idiin at gamitin ang nangyaring trahedya sa mga hongkong tourist sa luneta, na kesyo humina ang turismo sa bansa… bakit ilang ulo ba ang gumulong sa kamay ng mga abu sayaf?.. napigilan ba ang pagpunta ng turista sa ating bansa?
- Mga impokrito.. wag nyong idiin ang mga walang labang kababayan natin at halikan ang puwit ng mga chinong magpapautang sa inyo… bakit nag aalala kayo baka wala kayong makurakot?
- Harap harapan na ang kurakutan sa gobyerno…wala kayo sa penikula kaya wag kayong magpacute sa congreso.. hanggang kalian nyo bobolahin.. lolokohin ang sambayanang Filipino..
- Aguinaldo..Bonifacio…Gregorio.. bumangon kayo at gilitan ng leeg ang mga lason sa bayan na mga katulan nito.
BEST LEADER+ BEST MEDIA= BAD COUNTRY, WHY?
NAG-KAISA ANG PAMUNUAN SA BANSA AT MEDIA PARA PAGTAKPAN ANG KAPALPAKAN NILA NA ISISI SA MGA NAGRESPONDENG PULIS SA NAGANAP NA BUS HOSTAGE SA MGA TURISTA . NA ULTIMONG MGA KABABAYAN NATIN AY NAHIKAYAT NILANG MAKISISI NARIN SA MGA KAWAWANG PULIS, NA KESYO WALANG KAGAMITAN AT KAALAMAN KUNG ANONG GAGAWIN SA NAGANAP NA HOSTAGE TAKING… BAKIT, SINO BA ANG MAY RESPONSIBILIDAD NA MAGBIGAY NG MGA ITO SA KANILA? WALANG NAIBIGAY, SO NAKURAKOT NA. ANG MGA MEDIA NAMAN KULANG NALANG SILA NA ANG MANGASIWA NG SITWASYON, NA IPINAKITA NG LAHAT ANG GINAGAWA NG MGA KAAWA-AWA NATING MGA PULIS SA NANGHOSTAGE… TRABAHO DAW NILA YUN.. DAPAT SA INYONG LAHAT E PUKSAIN!! KAYO ANG LASON SA BANSA… DAHIL SA LAHAT NG MAGAGANDA NYONG NAGAWA, BANSA LANG NATIN ANG NAGMUKANG MASAMA.
P.S. : SIGURO NAMAN HINDI KAYO MAGTATAKA KUNG YUNG APAT NA SWAT TEAM LEADER NAMAN ANG MANG HOSTAGE!!! OPS… OK NA NAMAN YUN, TAAS NA NAMAN RATING NYO.. PATNUBAYAN NAWA KAMING MGA PANGKARANIWANG PILIPINO!!!!
HOSTAGE CRISIS: MAJOR MAJOR ADDING INSULT TO INJURY
The hostage scenario at the quirino grand stand was very tragic...at sinundan ito ng pagkapanalo ni Ms. Venus Raj bilang 4th runner up sa Ms. Universe. Nauna yung masamang balita ngunit sinundan ng isang magandang balita...sa ngayon ang ating bansa ay nahaharap sa isang matinding pagsubok at marami ang tumutuligsa sa kapalpakan ng kapulisan ng pilipinas at sa administrasyon at ang masaklap dito ay kapwa natin pilipino mismo ang nagbibigay ng hindi magandang kumento at maraming mga pulitiko ang nakikisakay sa issue lalo na ang dating pangulo.. bakit hindi nila narerealize na they are adding insult to injury.... may sugat na dinidiinan pa bakit di na lang sila gumawa ng mabuti para tulungan ang ating bansa para mabawasan ang tensyong nararamdaman ng ating bansa...at bakit di rin nila subukang itanong sa kanilang mga sarili ang tanong na ito na kaparehas ng tanong kay Ms. Venus Raj.." WHAT IS THE MAJOR... MAJOR... mistake you done lately and what did you do to make it right." hindi iksaktong word pero parehas ng konsepto... sa mga nagkamali sa nangyaring hostage crisis " ANO YUNG NAGAWA NYONG MALI AT PAPANO NYO ITO ITINAMA O PAPANO NYO ITO NAITUWID.." the point is tapos na ang hostage crisis at inamin na may nagkamali so GUMAWA NA LANG PO TAYO NG HAKBANG PARA ITAMA ANG PAGKAKAMALI... at sana wag nang maulit pa AT sa kapwa ko pilipino saan man sulok ka ng mundo...ipagtanggol nyo ang lahing Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng wag magbigay ng masamang kumento sa nangyaring hostage crisis dahil kapwa mo pilipino ang involve at sa mga pulitikong nais makisali na ikinukumpara ang administrasyon wag nyo na pong dagdagan ang TENSYONG nararamdaman ng ating bansa dahil hindi kayo nakakatulong...IPAGTANGGOL MO ANG LAHING PILIPINO KUNG GUSTO MO NG PAGBABAGO SIMULAN MO SA SARILI MO...
operation DIRTY HARRY
OPERATION DIRTY HARRY: SINO BA ANG HINOSTAGE NILA SA HONGKONG BAGO NANGYARI ANG HOSTAGE DRAMA SA MANILA? AND MGA SINGSON ANG MIDDLE MAN NG DRUG TRADE NG PINAS WID HONGKONG. HINAWAKAN NILA SI SINGSONS SON PARA MAY CONDITION KUKUNIN KAY CHAVIT. WELL CONNECTED SI CHAVIT SA MEDIA, POLICE, ARMY, MASONS AND ALL OF THE RIGHT WING SPECIALLY THE SINDICATE RUNNING ALL GAMBLING, ARMS DEALING AND DRUG TRADE SA PINAS. ANG TARGET NILA IS SIRAIN ANG REPUTATION NI DIRTY HARRY AKA MAYOR ALFREDO LIM. HABANG NAGTATAGO SI LACSON AT NAGPAPABANGO ANG MGA ESTRADA SA MEDIA, HABANG WALA DIN SA PUWESTO ANG MGA ARROYO (WITH ITS "LIGITIMIZING" DEALS WITH CHINESE-MACAPAGAL CONCEPT) AY MALAYA SILANG MAKAKAGALAW SA MAYNILA. PERO MAY ISANG PROBLEMA, SI DIRTY HARRY.
GETS NYO! ITS THE REAL DEAL. IF YOU DONT WANT TO BELIEVE IT ITS NOT A PROBLEM, ITS A PROBLEM IF YOU BELIEVE ME BECAUSE IT MAY CAUSE YOUR LIVES HEHEHE. NAKAKAPRANING NA KASI ANG MEDIA HALATANG TUTA NG MGA NEGOSYANTE!
poor crisis management
Milvic Dequilla ive also noticed that the negotiator were not with the suspect all the time. in a hostage situation the negotiator should be in the scene talking to the hostage taker, loosening him up and calming him down. the first job of the negotiator should be to assess the situation inside the bus that includes modes of communication of the suspect, situation of the hostages, and weapons of the suspect etc. In that case as i've seen in the tv the suspect was carrying a high powered long fire arm. For me that was not his strength. He was inside the bus and with a long fire arm like that it will make his mobility difficult. The police should have used this to their advantage buy sending SWAT teams equipped with MP5 or shorter fire arms. Not because mahaba ang baril natin eh mas may power na tayo. Tingnan din natin ang sitwasyon. M16's and other long fire arms are not advisable for urban crises warfare or fire fight. That was evident on how awkward the police were moving and positioning naman siguro. But still i wouldnt suggest an all out assault like that. i'd still use more peaceful means like sleep canisters or as low tech as we can be strong amonia concentrates.
The point here now is to point out to the authorities how ill equipped and badly trained our peacekeepers are. lets get over the politics of stuffs, the PNP as a whole needs an upgrade. kung yun ang SWAT team ng baranggay kopong kopong i would have understand, but as i heard it sa CNN they used "Manila Police" and manila is the capital of the Philippines. now you put two and two together.
Next Time Bring Nunchucks When U Travel
When you travel in a public vehicle in South East Asia, you should expect and be prepared for such situations. I had a similar experience with Filipino "terrorists" in the past, but I took them out. I wrote about that experience in my blog a few months ago:
http://syncmyworld.blogspot.com
For me, though, it's not a big deal since Malay or Filipino crooks are easier to handle. They are small-time crooks, and sometimes, I even feel sorry for them.
I find white people to be more dangerous because they can kill you without any reason at all. I was in Los Angeles when LAPD cops beat the hell out of Rodney King, and a riot broke out. Koreans with automatic weapons guarded their shops like crazy, as if loaves of bread and containers of milk were more valuable than black people.
I've often felt too that Neo-Nazi Aussies in Sydney or Crazy Kiwis in New Zealand, specially in Christchurch, could have cut my throat if I were not too careful.
Canada was probably the only white country that I've ever felt reasonably safe.
Even when I visited Sri Lanka during the civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the government, I did not feel that it was more dangerous than American cities like Los Angeles.
Of course, it's also not good if things are too safe like Singapore. Your body will lose its "resistance," and it will become weak and ill-prepared when the situation needs it. There was an old Singaporean lady who yelled at me when I was alighting from a Singaporean bus in the past because she said that I should be thinking about safety. That's the problem. If I get used to a safe environment, I would become frail, nerdy and weak like many Singaporeans and some HK nationals. That means I wouldn't be able to travel freely, and I'd be easily mugged by terrorists.
It's the Age of Terror, officially starting in 2012, so it's something we should expect and prepare for.
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Incompetent PNP
I am writing this comment from Kingdom of Bahrain. I am very disappointed with the terrible incompetence shown by the PNP in handling the crisis. When the hostage-taker demanded for a media to come, I thought the crisis leadership will see it as an opportunity. An expert police can disguise as camera man and catch the criminal by surprise. But they did not see it. Bobo talaga ang mga police na yan!
Lame duck excuses from PNOY
After watching his responses in the press conference, it could only conclude that we have a lame duck president, he is just echoing what his people told him without analyzing them.
1. Do not blame the media for their coverage, they are just doing their job. The PNP should have expected this when they are making planning and strategies in this kind of situatons.
2. The ground of course is not to the PNP's favor, I think all hostage takers who're in their right mind will choose a location favarable to themselve and not the Police.
3. Look at how negotiators and top PNP officials on site, they just kept on irritating the hostage taker by issuing empty promises and arresting his brother.
4. In this kind of dramatic incident involving citizens of other countries that will negatively affect our tourism and economy, there should be top Tourism officials and even Malacanang officials should be present.