MANILA, Philippines - A police official who tried to negotiate with hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza said Tuesday he regretted the bloody ending of Monday's 11-hour bus hostage crisis in Rizal Park.

In an interview, Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador said his scalp and nape are still hurting from being exposed too long to the sun during Monday's negotiations. He said he was given instructions by doctors not to stay too long out in the sun or risk aggravating his skin condition -- vitiligo -- which causes depigmentation of patches of skin.

More painful for the police inspector is the outcome of the hostage crisis that saw 9 people dead, including the hostage-taker.

Monday's crisis was Salvador's 5th hostage situation after 21 years in the police force.

He said he had no inkling that the negotiations would end in failure especially since he knew the hostage-taker and could freely talk to him. 

Mendoza, a decorated police officer, was removed from the police force last year after being linked to an extortion case. On Monday morning, he hijacked a Hong Thai Travel bus with 22 Hong Kong tourists and 3 Filipinos onboard and demanded that he be reinstated to the police force. 

Salvador said he and Manila Police District Superintendent Orlando Yebra gave Mendoza 2 phones that would allow him to communicate with police.

He said Mendoza promised him that he would surrender peacefully if his demands are met. He said the release of 9 hostages during the early part of the hostage crisis was a good sign for the negotiations.

He said the hostage-taker first became agitated when he read a letter from the Ombudsman offering to review his case. He said Mendoza even shot at him after Mendoza's brother, Gregorio, who was also at the scene shouted that police had taken his sidearm.

Salvador said he and Yebra stayed near the scene even after police SWAT teams started assault operations. He said his training as a negotiator taught him that he should stay near the hostage-taker while he is alive, in the hopes that the hostage situation would be resolved peacefully.

In the end, though, he said the decision to launch an assault operation was not up to the negotiators but to the crisis management committee.