Posted by The Manila hostage drama ended with a seemingly miserable fate.
At least eight people were killed, including hostage taker Rolando Mendoza, and eight were wounded in the hostage drama that lasted for 11 long hours in front of the Quirino Grandstand, Manila, Monday, August 23, 2010.
Mendoza, a dismissed policeman took 25 Hong Kong national tourists while they were inside a tour bus parked in the road near Quirino Grandstand. Mendoza was reported to be sacked from the Philippine National Police force back in 2008 because of charges of extortion and drug-related cases.
The Quirino Grandstand tragedy could not have ended in such fate should there been a clear command and better handling of the crisis, as commented by Representative Rodolfo Biazon, Chairman of the House Committee on Defense and National Security.
According to Biazon, who was also a former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, it should have been clear from the beginning who was the in-charge ground commander, and a clear plan on how to assess the situation. Moreover, there should had been a tactical commander who was in charge of the assault force.
To summarize, there should have been a clear layer of authority and command, with only authorized people talking and negotiating with the hostage-taker. The least thing the authority would want to do is to antagonize the gunman – which unfortunately happened.
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