IIRC eyes review of protocols in hostage situations
MANILA, Philippines – The Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) said there is a need to review protocols in hostage crisis situations, especially in defining the roles of public officials.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo, vice-chair of the fact-finding committee tasked to look into the hostage incident, said the group will shortly be evaluating existing protocols and make recommendations on how to improve the structure.
"It's important we examine protocols on how to manage these types of incidents, take a second look at instant responses at the local level. Supposedly we have the critical management committee working as a critical incident task group, (but) it seems the roles and understanding of the tasks are not clearly defined. If your look at the protocol it requires they stay until the crisis is over,” Robredo said in a telephone interview with ANC’s “Dateline Philippines Sunday.”
Dionisio Santiago, chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), agreed on the need to review existing protocols.
Santiago created the Light Reaction Company of the Light Reaction Battalion when he was Commanding General of the Special Operations Command, the Philippine Army's counter-terrorism unit.
"Pagka may crisis situation, 'di kami umaalis. Pagkain ang pumupunta sa amin," Santiago said, adding that it may have been possible an inaccurate assessment of the hostage situation, and the fact that a member of the police force was involved may have added to the complexity of the response and who should take command.
"Baka nagka-underestimation, kapwa pulis eh. Nakita ninyo nag-develop situation 'yong flexibility 'di nakapasok doon," he added.
Lapses in police operations
Marathon hearings on the August 23 Quirino Grandstand hostage crisis held on Friday and Saturday, uncovered lapses in police operations and a lack of understanding on the role of local officials tasked to oversee situations involving a breakdown of peace and order.
On Saturday, clarificatory hearings by the fact-finding committee showed that the policemen were left to resolve the hostage-taking incident.
In his testimony, Manila Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno said Mayor Alfredo Lim, the head of the local crisis management committee and the ground commander and former Manila Police District (MPD) director, Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, left the scene and gone to a nearby restaurant before the situation got out of hand.
Moreno said that with foreigners taken as hostages, the incident should not have been treated as a local crisis, and necessitated officials from the national government.
The bungled rescue operations have been blamed for the death of 8 Hong Kong tourists during the incident.
On Saturday, members of the Philippine National Police (PNP)- Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team who handled the assault admitted they lacked the equipment and the training to deal with it.
Delineation of duties
"There was not a very clear delineation of who was in charge of what and where, and if there was some assumption it was handled by the critical incident management task force, but the group was saying it needed the call of the crisis management committee. The information should've been delegated - what was happening on the ground, what the capacities and whether these should be elevated to higher authorities. These could have been done if there was an assessment conducted by the committee," Robredo said.
Robredo noted the crisis management committee in certain localities had proven effective in the past, such as in handling the bombing at the Zamboanga City International Airport in early August.
"The Zamboanga crisis incident, I think it was a functional crisis management committee, Mayor Celso Lobregat took over the incident. He convened the crisis management committee."
Greater challenge for bigger urban areas
Robredo however, admitted that the challenge may be greater for urban areas like Manila.
"The crisis management committee is a part of the Peace and Order Council. It's a smaller group from the Peace and Order Council of the locality. In many parts of the country, they understand the rules very well, but bigger urban areas with police districts, I think there may be some difficulty."
Hearings extended
The IIRC expects to finish marathon hearings on Monday, but given the number of resource persons lined up and the issues involved, Robredo said, clarificatory hearings into the Manila hostage crisis may take a few more days.
He added that they also hope to complete investigations by mid-September and formulate recommendations within the next few months.
"I doubt we'll finish tomorrow, the hearings should stretch to no later than Thursday. We need to get done by September 15, that's for the fact-finding. Recommendation will last a month or two."
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WHAT MAKES HOSTAGE RESCUE OPERATIONS SUCCESSFUL?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12891843/Navy-Anatomy-of-a-Hostage-Rescue
Kailangan Ng Lunch Break Protocol
Lesson learned, nagutom ang mga negotiator kaya umalis sa puwesto. Next time dapat may kasunduan ang hostage taker at negotiator na cease fire muna habang kumakain ng tanghalian. At isa pa, dapa't may food delivery service dun sa mga hostage at hostage taker para hindi magutom at uminit ang ulo!
Tama ba?
TOILET PROTOCOL
TOILET PROTOCOL
Does everybody know what they will do?
Do they know where they are going?
The FIRST THING the investigating committee (IIRC) should have done was to asked individually and separately (unlike in a congressional show) about the similarity if the officials have any of a hostage-rescue operation protocol. Whether they have the same understanding of the motion, steps and procedures involved like when a gentleman does a simple toilet-protocol of peeing and pooh’ing in his home as contrasted to doing it in mall toilets. Their knowledge of the protocol could be as crude as rape or as affectionate as love making. How these things are done separates the normal from the mentally challenged.
The authorities like Mayor Lim, Police Officers Magtibay, Santiago, etc. Should have unity of interpretation to distinguish the nuances of the situation. Whether the situation is a hostage-rescue or kill the hostage-taker operation. Protocols can be derailed by personal motives or agenda extraneous to the crime situation. The officials should have been asked in confidence whether at the time they learned of the incident, if they have a solution or best approach to the situation they can advise in a group solving conference. Their answers will determine FOREKNOWLEDGE, the nature and depth of further training needs. Did these officials discussed and brainstorm for a solution just like what non-police TV actors do in NYPD, LAPD, CSI, series to get their suspects?
Is it recommended or allowable protocol for a negotiator to grab or shoot the hostage taker? Is that part of the role of an honorable, non-lying negotiator? Will subterfuge make him still effective next time? If outside interference occurred, do you put the blame on those who interfered or those whose duty is to prevent or stop interference? Is a badly bungled situation salvageable by any kind of investigation? Not for excuses but to justify the inadequacies of individuals or organizations by means of an investigation could put them in a deeper hole before the eyes of the world.
HK Bus in the headlines until now?
Other newspapers have the USS Gay Washington aircraft carrier in their headlines, emphasizing how their Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell sailors and officers will be spending millions at the SM Mall of Asia and other establishments to replace the tourist revenue lost because of the HK bus tragedy.
I wouldn't be surprised if the CIA were involved with Mendoza and the PNP, just as Galman was obviously not the lone gunman who shot Ninoy Aquino. John Perkins, in his book, Confessions of an Economic Hitman, wrote about how the CIA uses assassinations to spark wars, coups or revolutions for US interests. Perkins also wrote in his book, A Game as Old as Empire, how 800 leaked World Bank documents prove that the Philippines was a specific target of American economic sabotage. WikiLeaks has also recently released a secret CIA document that describes how the CIA exports terrorism. And the "coincidental" visit of thousands of American sailors to Manila just after the HK bus incident seems to be suspicious.
But old tricks don't work anymore. As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." So any attempt to use old divide-and-conquer strategies is futile.
Still, it would have been interesting if ABS-CBN journalists and photographers were able to photograph some shots of Fil-Am sailors proposing to their white boyfriends, while holding each other's hands, and wishing for gay marriage to be finally legalized also in the Philippine, all under the panoramic view of a Manila-Bay sunset.
Hindi Protocol Ang Problema Kundi Yung Nagpunta Sa Emerald Resto
Maliwanag naman ang sabi ni Noynoy, walang training and walang equipment kaya nagkamatay ang mga turistang galing Hongkong.
Anong magagawa ng protocol kung bibistayin mo ng bala and kaawa awang banyaga na bisita ng ating bayan?
the Investigating committee is Rushing!!!
the hostage incident and many More incidents in the past that were not dealt with satisfactorily were also investigated and band aided too quick and the results are they are not getting the right solutions. in my experience it took months of very thorough investigations by an Independent Body usually headed by One Single Individual to submit its reports for legislative measures or steps to be taken to correct the shortcomings. and you don't need too many members of the committee each saying their own piece of mind before the final reports...it will be another spoiled broth.