Notes on the grandstand
Do we expect a black eye for Philippine tourism after the horrific bus siege at the Quirino Grandstand which left eight Hong Kong nationals dead? Certainly.
Hong Kong revived its travel alert for the Philippines after losing its own people – unnecessarily – in a hostage crisis in Manila that could have been managed better. Citizens of other countries that saw the televised 10-hour bloody hostage drama might say there are better places they can go to for a holiday and still come home in one piece. Better and safer countries than the Philippines.
But bus sieges and hostage situations do not happen regularly why should foreigners stay away from our country?
That’s because we just showed the world that law enforcers cannot protect anyone – not its own people and certainly not the tourists. We just exposed our inadequacies in terms of strategy, police training, and equipment.
On a personal note, watching the hostage drama just made me feel unsafe in my own country. Save yourself, just like what the bus driver did. But that’s okay – I live here and so I must deal with my own country’s realities. But tourists would not put up with the slightest risks.
Tourists look for safety and security, alongside comfort and other attractions and with a destination whose police force that cannot protect visitors?
Only “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
* * * *
A former member of the French Elite Hostage Rescue Unit described the kind of police work at the hostage drama as “badly prepared.” Expert Frederic Gallois noted that our police did not even use surprise tactics such as entering the bus from various points and instead stayed too long outside the bus to neutralize a lone gunman. Even Manila Police District Chief, Leocadio Santiago admitted “obvious shortcomings in terms of capability and the tactics employed.”
And where were the generals and the experts in crisis situations Monday night? Why was the burden of taking down the hostage taker left to the MPD, or so it seemed?
In a hostage drama lasting almost half a day there was ample time to plan, strategize and execute an attack with minimal loss of lives. If our policemen did not know what to do, they could have called for help.
* * * *
Where was President Aquino all this time? His presence alone would have assured the people that the government was in control of the situation. As the nation and the world endured a front seat view of police incompetence that fateful night it would have helped if the country’s most powerful man was around.
We are a familial nation. We value the presence of our parents or elders during difficult times. The president is not really expected to do anything heroic but his mere presence as “head of the family” would have made the difference. At the very least, he could have offered hope.
Besides it was an opportunity for the president to show in many ways he is a hands-on leader. If it ended peacefully, the hostage crisis would even make him look good.
With the absence of the highest posts in the land, we cannot blame the international community if it saw no clear effort from our officials to change the outcome.
* * * *
Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza is dead.
In a way he anticipated his eventual fall. Mendoza’s demand was simple: his reinstatement to the police force, which was already impossible even without the hostage-taking.
When Mendoza aired his demands law enforcers should have realized the hostage situation would not fizzle out uneventfully. Mendoza was armed with weapons and desperation. He was ready to die.
What ending were law enforcers anticipating? Negotiations going smoothly? Hostages will be released and Mendoza gets reinstated like nothing ever happened? Or Mendoza-softens-and-gets-jailed?
Taking hostages to get one’s old police job back is futile. Mendoza knew he will never get his way. At work he must have seen hostage takers eventually holed up in jail even if the crisis was resolved peacefully. Ending up like them is not part of his plans.
Other hostage takers have specific and realistic demands. One would see an intention to end the hostage crisis at some point, based on the demands. It could be a getaway vehicle, firearms, perhaps money or food, or the release of jailed comrades in the case of extremists hijacking airliners
Mendoza’s journey was different. He knew from the start he had a one-way ticket.*
