Aquino: 'Someone will pay' for deadly hostage failures
Source: Agencies |
August 27, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
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The Philippine president vowed yesterday that "someone will pay" for the bus hostage crisis that killed Hong Kong tourists as senators began grilling senior police officers over the deadly fiasco.
President Benigno Aquino III said the nearly 12-hour hostage-taking drama on Monday was "ghastly" and admitted there were "many failures," but stopped short of directly blaming the police.
"What happened should not happen again," he said. "Someone failed, someone will pay."
At the Senate investigation, Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay said he gave the order to assault the bus carrying a Hong Kong tour guide and 20 tourists after hearing shots following a breakdown in the negotiations with the hostage-taker.
The man, a Manila policeman who had been dismissed and was demanding reinstatement, released several children and elderly hostages early on, but later opened fire on the remaining hostages. Eight people were killed before a police sniper took out the gunman.
Aquino and other officials have promised a full investigation. Magtibay has taken leave and four leaders of the assault team have been relieved pending an investigation.
In Hong Kong, business was halted in the for a three-minute tribute to the slain tourists. Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang and hundreds of citizens bowed their heads.
Magtibay told the senators he "honestly believed" assurances by his assault team leader that they were prepared and were carrying the right equipment for the operation.
However, senator Miguel Zubiri pointed out the police SWAT team did not have ladders or bus window blasters, and the rope they used as a makeshift tool to pry open the vehicle's door easily snapped.
Another police officer testified that the team did not have a "flash-bang grenade," a standard weapon used by police commandos to stun a hostage-taker.
"It was Band-Aid solutions as we went along, but the element of surprise had already gone," Zubiri said.
President Benigno Aquino III said the nearly 12-hour hostage-taking drama on Monday was "ghastly" and admitted there were "many failures," but stopped short of directly blaming the police.
"What happened should not happen again," he said. "Someone failed, someone will pay."
At the Senate investigation, Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay said he gave the order to assault the bus carrying a Hong Kong tour guide and 20 tourists after hearing shots following a breakdown in the negotiations with the hostage-taker.
The man, a Manila policeman who had been dismissed and was demanding reinstatement, released several children and elderly hostages early on, but later opened fire on the remaining hostages. Eight people were killed before a police sniper took out the gunman.
Aquino and other officials have promised a full investigation. Magtibay has taken leave and four leaders of the assault team have been relieved pending an investigation.
In Hong Kong, business was halted in the for a three-minute tribute to the slain tourists. Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang and hundreds of citizens bowed their heads.
Magtibay told the senators he "honestly believed" assurances by his assault team leader that they were prepared and were carrying the right equipment for the operation.
However, senator Miguel Zubiri pointed out the police SWAT team did not have ladders or bus window blasters, and the rope they used as a makeshift tool to pry open the vehicle's door easily snapped.
Another police officer testified that the team did not have a "flash-bang grenade," a standard weapon used by police commandos to stun a hostage-taker.
"It was Band-Aid solutions as we went along, but the element of surprise had already gone," Zubiri said.
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