The Notorious Hostage Drama At Quirino Grandstand Philippines

I am not an expert on the standard operating procedures of dealing a hostage-taking incident, but even I, a moron, could see that the infamous hostage crisis that happened on August 23, 2010 could have been handled far better than it was.

It doesn’t excuse a doer of a job this saying, “We did the best we can. If you were to do it, you would not do any difference or any better than what was done.” mainly because you are expected to do the job in a manner that yields more benefits than risks if not totally positive at all. That’s just the way it is.

I understand that there is no use pointing a finger for blame because we cannot bring back the dead and what happened has already happened, but there is something we can do to prevent the same circumstance from happening.

First and foremost, it is about time that we, Filipinos, educate ourselves: government officials, media, police and public alike. The way our government officials addressed the issue at hand, the way the policemen responded to the situation, the way the inquisitive public was allowed to gather near the supposed restricted area and the way the media covered the chaos unrestrained were clear reflections of our ignorance, mediocrity and incapacity.

There obviously was a lack of plan. Unlike in foreign movies where the negotiator and the hostage-taker are far from each other and the former phones the latter or uses a communication equipment to facilitate the bargaining, a hostage-taking scene in the Philippines takes that the negotiator and the hostage-taker are in close proximity you would think nothing criminally serious about the sight or there was only a shooting of a movie.

But those are the movies and this is real: we do not possess the necessary equipment to communicate a hostage-taker in that capacity much as government entities in charge of peace-keeping and order lack tactical training. Just look at the way they came running towards the bus, lemming-like when the bus driver jumped out of the window screaming his head off that all the hostages had long been dead.

The blind hastiness to attack after what the driver reported was not only a clear indication of incompetence in police authorities when it comes to decision-making that is based on plan and unquestionable hard evidence, but also total irresponsibility.

Did it occur to them that if Sp Rolando Mendoza killed All the people inside the bus, he would have no one to trade in for his demands? How could they be so sure that there were no surviving, breathing bodies granting all had been shot to toss in capsules of tear gas?

The hostage-taking in Quirino Grandstand that cost the lives of Hongkong tourists and other vacationing foreigners is a wake-up call to the Philippine government and to the Filipino people.

It is about time that the government of President Noynoy Aquino invest in some sophisticated training for homeland security, better techniques in solving crimes, improved facilities and equipment like call tracers, high-tech cameras, etc. for our police, military men, FBI and NBI. Only then can they be capable of sound judgment and actions and able to position media and onlookers to an appropriate distance or extent.