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.