EDITORIAL - Lessons from a tragedy

The chief negotiator was kept out of the loop on the assault, journalists were largely given the run of the crime scene, orders to the police were coming from at least two officials, and when crunch time came, the local crisis management team left for dinner. With Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim off to the Emerald Garden restaurant, Manila policemen set out to implement his final order, which was to restrain and take away from the scene Senior Police Officer 2 Gregorio Mendoza, brother of hostage taker Rolando Mendoza, regardless of the consequences.

As shown in yesterday’s replay of audiotapes of Mendoza’s final interviews, the hostage taker ranted for several minutes about his intent to start shooting his captives if his brother was not released. The response to his threat, as gleaned from the tapes of Radio Mindanao Network and ABC TV-5, was the wailing of a police siren. A shot rang out, and Mendoza was back on air, demanding the release of his brother or he would finish off his captives. More gunshots, and there was no more word from Mendoza. The bus driver jumped out, screaming that everyone was dead, and the Special Weapons and Tactics team, poorly equipped and poorly trained, moved in.

It was a disaster whose repeat the nation cannot afford. The only way the nation can redeem itself is to learn from its mistakes and prepare for an efficient response the next time a hostage incident crops up – and there will be a next time. The Philippine National Police is not lacking in experience in dealing with hostage situations; the country has seen many hostage incidents since police forces were organized nationwide many decades ago. There might be no official PNP manual for dealing with hostage situations, but there are police officers who have received training for that special task, and there have been successful hostage negotiations in the past.

The Aug. 23 incident should also remind authorities that an order extracted under duress is not legally binding and can be overturned. Mendoza could have been ordered reinstated as soon as he aired his demand; that order could have been revoked by the Office of the Ombudsman once all the hostages were safe. Even the Supreme Court overturns its own decisions; why should an order extracted through blackmail from the Ombudsman not be reversed? A repeat of this tragedy can be prevented only if the nation learns its lessons well.