By CARLOS H. CONDE and KEVIN DREW
The New York Times
Published: August 24, 2010
MANILA — The Philippine government faced a wrenching public discussion on Tuesday over how its police handled a 12-hour hostage standoff that unfolded on live television and ended with the deaths of eight tourists from Hong Kong and their armed captor.
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Growing criticism of the police response underscored what may be an early test for President Benigno S. Aquino III, who was elected in a landslide this spring. Chinese officials said they were appalled by the killings, and one prominent member of the Philippine government blamed the police for mishandling the siege. The Hong Kong executive complained that he had been unable to reach Mr. Aquino throughout the crisis.
In Beijing, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the government demanded a “thorough investigation” and full disclosure of the results as soon as possible.
In Hong Kong, flags flew at half staff on Tuesday, and protesters gathered outside the Philippines Consulate near the downtown financial center.
Much of the fiercest criticism was focused on the length of time the police allowed the situation to endure before raiding the bus, and the extensive live media coverage, which the gunman was able to watch on a monitor inside the bus.
“It was the mishandling of the situation that caused this to happen,” said Alberto Lim, the Philippine secretary of tourism, in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “It is really tragic for the country as a whole.”
The standoff began on Monday morning when a former police officer, Rolando Mendoza, 55, seized a tourist bus carrying 25 people to protest his dismissal last year on extortion charges. He released nine tourists early on. Officials said they did not think of the former officer as “a terrorist,” and the police held back as the hours passed.
Mr. Mendoza appeared to exploit the live coverage by posting placards on the bus windows specifically addressed to the news media. He even gave an interview to a radio station. As night fell, negotiations grew tense.
Shortly after the live broadcasts from the scene showed a brother of Mr. Mendoza being detained, he opened fire inside the bus. It was 20 minutes later when the police stormed the bus.
At a news conference after the siege, Mr. Aquino said officials with the Philippines National Police had decided to “wait it out” because they believed the standoff “could be settled peacefully, without loss of life.”
In some quarters, there was also speculation that police officers used to a culture of graft and favoritism might have had a level of sympathy for Mr. Mendoza that blinded them to the seriousness of the situation. Mr. Mendoza claimed that he had not been given a fair shake as he fought the charges of extortion and that he only wanted the chance to be heard.
Ian Bryson, an analyst in Singapore at the London-based consultancy firm Control Risks, pointed out that the police were not centrally controlled and said, “Clearly, the message of Mr. Mendoza’s grievances gained traction within members of the PNP.”
Already facing armed insurgencies in the south by Muslim separatists and communists, Mr. Aquino made a crackdown on corruption, including in the police force, a main plank during his campaign. After Monday’s violence, he ordered an inquiry into police tactics.
How Mr. Aquino responds to that investigation may determine how effective his administration will be in tackling violence in a nation where weapons are easy to obtain. Mr. Mendoza was armed with an M-16 assault rifle when he commandeered the bus.
News organizations faced a serious backlash for what was seen as their role in aiding Mr. Mendoza.
“The candid, live coverage of the media provided the hostage taker real-time information on what the police was doing,” said Rommel Banlaoi, executive director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence, and Terrorism Research in Manila.
On Tuesday, one congressman said he would introduce legislation to allow the police to impose “news blackouts” during future crises, and the government said it was evaluating police guidelines governing the news media during hostage situations.
“We may have to talk to media to take into consideration the interest of the safety of the hostages, so our police will have the element of surprise,” Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said. “There was a television set inside the bus. Unfortunately, Mendoza got a glimpse of what the police were up to. So we lost our element of surprise.”
The chief executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang, said at a news conference late Monday that he had been unable to reach Mr. Aquino as the hostage drama unfolded.
“This is very tragic, and the way it was handled and particularly the outcome I found it disappointing,” Mr. Tsang said, visibly angry and near tears as he spoke to reporters.
Hong Kong issued its highest level travel warning for the Philippines, asking tour groups to avoid the country and advising its residents there to leave immediately.
Last year the Philippines recorded three million tourists visiting the country, a number it wants to grow as it tries to dig itself out of the global economic downturn. East Asia, including Hong Kong, provides the largest single source of tourists, at 40 percent of the total, according to the Philippine government. More than 140,000 tourists from Hong Kong visit the Philippines each year.
The hostage standoff is expected to hit the country’s tourism sector badly, said Mr. Lim, the tourism secretary. At least one hotel in Manila that caters mainly to tourists from Hong Kong has 300 canceled room reservations, he said.
Mr. Lim said the hostage crisis would make it practically impossible for the department to achieve its 10-percent growth target for this year.
“Because of this, it’s going to be more challenging,” he said. “I am not as hopeful that we would reach it.”
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