Hostage negotiator accepts failure in bus siege
MANILA, Philippines - Police Superintendent Orlando Yebra, a negotiator in last Monday’s hostage crisis, has accepted failure even if all efforts were exhausted to calm down the gunman.
In an interview with Failon Ngayon, Yebra said “sa amin, namatayan ka isa diyan, hindi mo mapa-surrender, hindi ma-release ang mga hostages, it’s a failure for us, how much more marami namatay?”
Yebra, who was trained by the FBI Baton Rouge in Louisiana in 2004, however said he and other negotiators tried their best to provide all the demands of former senior police inspector Rolando Mendoza, the hostage-taker.
In the end, a slew of factors cut the negotiators’ communication line with Mendoza, eventually leading to the death of 8 Hong Kong residents and the gunman himself.
Alternative offer
Yebra recounted there was an instance when he was able to make a breakthrough.
It was around 5:30 p.m. last August 23 when Mendoza first became irrational, he recalled.
That was the time when Mendoza received the letter from the Ombudsman stating that his case would be looked into. One of his demands then was for the Ombudsman to review an extortion case that eventually led to his dismissal from service.
Based on reports, Mendoza was then on the phone talking to Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN) anchorman Michael Rogas.
He read the Ombudsman’s letter on air and railed against it, saying it was “garbage.”
Thinking fast, Yebra said he offered an alternative offer.
“[I told him] what about kung subukan kong i-convince yung mga boss ko sa [Philippine National Police] na suspendihin temporarily yung implementation ng dismissal mo,” he told Mendoza.
Yebra noted the hostage-taker seemed to have been pacified, saying “tignan natin, pag-usapan natin mamaya.”
Brother raises hell
The brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, was with Yebra then.
At that moment, Gregorio supposedly shouted: “Kapag hindi ibinalik ang baril ko, wag kang pumayag!”
That was the time when Mendoza fired the first warning shot.
Based on the transcript issued by RMN, Mendoza told Rogas: “Yun nga yung putok ng baril sa ’kin nga galing ’yun. Nag-warning shot ako kay colonel kasi nga panay kasinungalingan ang ginagawa nya. Ang sabi niya binalik nya ang baril ng kapatid ko iyon pala hindi pala, anong katotohanan ang natatanggap ko sa kanya?”
He added: “Kaya po ako nagpaputok, kaya po ako nagpaputok ay dahil nalaman ko na ako pala’y niloloko ng negosyador ni Colonel Yebra! ... Siya ang negosyador dapat siya ang hindi nagsisinungaling!”
Line busy
Despite this 1 hitch, Yebra said he did not think then that the negotiations had started to fail.
“May tsansa pa nga sa magiging judgment ng PNP. It will be a judgment call on the part of the ground commander...,” he said.
He kept on trying to contact Mendoza’s cellphone, but failed several times.
“At around 7:00 p.m., hindi na makontak. Yung cellphone na tinatawagan ko, laging busy. I also earlier gave him another, hindi sinasagot,” he said.
Yebra noted during a hostage crisis, the communication line between the hostage-taker and the negotiators should always be open. Nobody should be intervening, he said.
During that time, police had already apprehended Gregorio. This was the incident that supposedly triggered Mendoza to open fire.
The RMN transcript of its phone interview describes how Mendoza started to see red while monitoring the events on television.
Yebra said “sa oras na iyon, nawala na sa akin [communication].”
Feeling hopeless, he then went to the nearby Quirino Grandstand.
“May epekto siguro. Nung una, ako yung kausap nung tao. All throughout, yung mga victims nakikita ko…Nakikita ko yung mga hitsura nila,” he said.
Yebra noted he did everything he could to make the negotiations successful, but may have been wanting in some aspects.
He hopes however that the finger-pointing on who should be blamed has to stop.
He said he will cooperate with any investigation to provide justice for the victims.
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Pathetic!
Police Superintendent Orlando Yebra, are you just as stupid as Mendoza himself? He was there standing right infront of you when he got out in the open! Why on earth you didn't grab him and pin him down on the pavement? Were you afraid of Mendoza? Or are you just one of his Protégées? Should the Filipino people expect another hostage taking by "YOU" in the future?
You're just plain pathetic!
Another reason....
Another reason kung bakit naging problema yung pakikipag usap (negosasyon) ng mga radio announcer kay Mendoza is nag-create ito ng "another option" and mga kaibigan ito po ang pinaka iiwasan ng mga trained police negotiator sa mga ganitong crisis. Kailangan ma-feel ng hostage taker na everything has to be betweeen him and the negotiator. Oo naka-dagdag sa problema yung pag arresto sa kaptid ni Mendoza pero kung alam nya na wala syang ibang option kung hindi kausapin yung negotiator the tragedy could have been better handled. Pero dahil nga mayroon ng third party involve giving him the feeling of "Importance" (remember noong they tried to make Capt. Mendoza calm down) that is wrong! then Erwin Tulfo tried desperately to break police line to interview the hostage taker...for what??? (To make him look good, that's why) They have repeatedly broke every major rules in hostage crisis situation by acting as if they are the best options (Rogas and Tulfo). But Yebra and his crew also have many mistakes so they should also be held accountable, but there is no way this cop should go to jail for this as some of you suggest here. He failed in his duty and should just lose his certification as a police officer. The citizenry could actually file a request to the NAPOLCOM to fire YEBRA because the public has already lost faith and trust in his ability to perform his duty as police officer of the country. That is of-course if Col. Yebra wouldn't have the honor to just resign his post because of his totally amateurish decisions during the entire hostage crisis. The Japanese have answer for something like this ...I think they call it HARIKIRI !
PALPAK
AMIGOS KO... DAPAT IKULONG NA YAN SI YEBRA..BUT MALABO NA MAGNYARI YAN MGA AMIGOS.;. MALAKAS K NOYNOY YAN..ITA-TRANSFER LANG NG ASSIGNMENT YAN AND MAGKAKALIMUTAN NA SA KASO...
Tama ka olmytee.... Dapat
Tama ka olmytee....
Dapat imbestigahan ang 2 radio reporter na si Michael Rogas at Erwin Tulfo at kasohan sa ginawa nilang pakikialam. Remember, sbi ng negotiator ang tagal ng busy ng busy ang telepono ni Mendoza dahil sinbusubokan nyang tawagan para makipag bargain pa sa kanya pero hindi nya nakokontak dahil kausap na pala ni Mendoza ang 2 pakialamerong ito na akala mo mga negotiators sila! Pumapapel sila!!!!pero hindi nila alam na ang ginawa nila ay malaking kamalian! Kung hindi sila nakisawsaw di sana nagkaron pa ng cnhance at oras na makipag negotiate si Yebra sa knya. Maaring si Rogas at Tulfo din ang din ang nagsabi ky Mendoza na buksan ang tv para makita nya kung ano ang ginagawa ng mga police sa kapatid nya. Di ba sinabi ni Tulfo na sabi ni Mendoza magbibigay sya ng SAMPOL kung hindi pakakawalan ang kapatid sa loob ng 5mins.? Hanggang sa narinig na nga ang unang putok na warning shot ni Mendoza at sa mga oras na yon kausap ni Mendoza sina Rogas at Tulfo na dapat sana sa mga oras na yon ay nakontak ng negotiator si Mendoza para ituloy ang negotiation pero nakialam ang dalawa at hindi at walang kaduda duda na sila ang nagsabi ky mendoza ng mga bagay na dahilan ng ikinagalit nito.
Negotiator
The negotiator should also have the power to disarm the hostage-taker. Early footages showed the hostage-taker were at the door of the bus, no guns drawn and about 2 meters from the 2 negotiator. Why didn't they grab the hostage-taker at once? Two against one. They could have done it, they missed the opportunity...
bakit kasi di mo na lang ipinabalik yung baril?
but anyway,
"what doesn't kill you will make you stronger"
Nabulok at kinalawang ang PNP at AFP dahil kay Gloria.
Now, PNoy has best plans of correcting the PNP defficiencies and of creating a better team to handle hostage and siilar situations.
siguro dapat mag training ka sa Scotland Yard next time.
Negotiations did not fail
The failure to neutralize the hostage taker was the main problem. Do not be hard on yourself, things happen and you can only do as much as a negotiator. Just think that lives have been saved as well, it could have been worst if all of the hostages were killed. Mr. Yebra became a hero in a small way worthy of a simple recognition. He cannot be a negotiator and be a part of the assault at the same time, it's a total team effort. Keep your head high Sir! At least you tried, pero si ABNoy hindi malaman kung nasaan. He might be freakin out or was throwing up in the washroom at that time, only hell knows.
P-Noy
The president is the highest leader of the land. Do you expect him to be the negotiator? He is not a trained policeman. Do you expect Obama to negotiate if it happened in the US? We may not like the President but he is the president of the Philippines, we must as well respect him. Kaya d tau ginagalang ng foreigners kasi tayo mismo ay di gumagalang sa Pangulo natin. Please don't call him ABNoy, just P-Noy..
ACCEPT IT OR NOT DOES NOT MATTER!
The madlang people saw clearly what happened. You are not competent to handle such situation. It is better for you not to talk anymore because you are just adding insult to the injury. Your incompetency already costs many lives. Just resign or quit your job. You do not deserve a second chance. Just quit and you will be forgotten.
Those reporters from Radyo Mo
Those reporters from Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN) network Michael Rogas and Erwin Tulfo should be held accountable for their action. Im not putting the blame on them but they did in some way cause the breakdown of the negotiation. Why? Because on a hostage situation such as what happened, the main rule is that the hostage crisis should only be handled by one negotiator. Because more people trying to negotiate the harder and more dangerous the situation would be. I work as a police officer here in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Fl and if what happened there in Manila happened here those reporters would surely be held responsible and would be arrested. Here is why, #1 because of their action they impede the police to conduct their official function in that situation so that is impediment of police official duty. #2 Because they acted (although in good faith) as negotiator even though they are aware that the matter is already being handled by the police...so this is imitation of police authority functions. These charges carry with them at least 6 to 7 years minimum prison time to 10-15 years maximum depending on the severity of their actions. SO I hope my fellow police officers should consider this options. Charge those jerks so they would learn !