Most survivors of this week’s tragic hostage drama in Manila were returning home to Hong Kong yesterday, along with the bodies of the eight tourists who were slain, while the Philippines grappled with outrage over its mishandling of the standoff.
The Philippine interior secretary has acknowledged police were ill-prepared and that a series of lapses might have led to bloodshed on Monday when the hostage-taker, a disgruntled ex-policeman demanding his job back, killed eight bus passengers and shot others before a police sniper killed him.
Nine other passengers had been released hours earlier and seven were rescued from the bullet-riddled bus, three of them in serious condition.
PHOTO: AFP
One of the wounded will remain in intensive care in Manila and another will be brought back on a medivac plane, Hong Kong Undersecretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok (黎棟國) said.
Workers at a funeral parlor loaded the coffins into wooden boxes for the flight home. They left for the airport in a caravan of hearses led by a police car. A small group of about 10 people, hands clasped in front of their chests, hummed a Buddhist chant.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, facing his first major crisis since taking office on June 30, declared yesterday a national day of mourning in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong. Flags were lowered at government offices and embassies.
Philippine Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Jessie Robredo, who is in charge of the national police, said its inadequacies in terms of preparation, equipment and training had all been exposed at the same time.
Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay offered to go on leave while the investigation was ongoing. The assault firearms used by police commandos will be subjected to ballistic tests to determine if some of the hostages were hit by police gunfire, officials said.
Authorities were criticized for failing to prevent the brother of hostage-taker Roland Mendoza, who is also a policeman, from intervening in the negotiations.
Police officials said the brother urged Mendoza not to continue the talks unless authorities return the brother’s firearm, which was confiscated from him during the standoff.
Gregorio Mendoza then threw a tantrum in front of TV cameras, which were broadcasting the daylong drama live, apparently prompting his brother to start shooting.
A heartbreaking picture emerged of the victims, including a mother of three who lost her husband and two daughters.
Britain’s Foreign Office said that two of the hostages who were released were British nationals. Three of the fatalities were Canadian, Philippine police said.
Survivor Amy Ng (吳幼媛) mourned the deaths of her husband Ken Leung (梁錦榮), whom she said confronted the gunman, and daughters Doris (梁頌詩) and Jessie (梁頌儀), aged 21 and 14. Her son, Jason (梁頌學), was wounded in the head and she will stay in Manila with him until he is fit to fly back.
“I thought I would fight for survival so I could take care of my children, but two of them have already died,” a sobbing Ng said on Tuesday.
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