Chinese Nationals Killed in Manila Hostage Crisis, Hostage-Taker Dead

The killing of eight Hong Kong tourists taken hostage on a Manila bus has generated a huge outpouring of grief, frustration and anger in the Chinese territory.


Police storm a bus where a former policeman was holding a group of Hong Kong tourists, killing him but unable to save all of the hostages.




Mendoza was formerly with the Manila police's mobile patrol. Mendoza was a former recipient of the 1986 Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines of the Jaycees International. It can be recalled that civil engineer Jun Ducat, a day-care center owner, held more than 30 youngsters and teachers hostage on a bus some time in 2007. The standoff, which Ducat used to denounce corruption and demand better lives for impoverished children, lasted about 10 hours.

The crisis began when the dismissed policeman, Rolando Mendoza, 55, armed with a M16 rifle seized the busload of Hong Kong tourists to demand his reinstatement in the force.

According to newspaper reports from 2008, he was among five officers who had been charged with 32 counts of illegal detention and abduction, illegal possession of explosives and illegal possession of firearms  after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money.



The Hostage Scene:
Amid heavy rains, policemen on Monday night started assaulting the tourist bus where a dismissed police officer was holding hostage at least 17 Chinese nationals, a report on GMA News' "24 Oras" said.

Rapid fire was heard at around 8:18 p.m., the live report said. A civilian was hit by a stray bullet and was rushed to hospital.

The police immobilized the bus by shooting at its tires.

At least two teargas canisters were lobbed into the bus as policemen struggled to open the door.

Moments after shots were fired, the driver of the bus, who was earlier reported handcuffed to the steering wheel, escaped. The shots forced media men covering the hostage crisis to scamper for safety.

In the morning, police sharpshooters took positions around the white-blue-red bus. The road was sealed off as officers negotiated with the hostage-taker.

In the afternoon, Mendoza released two women, three children, a diabetic man and three Filipinos.
While releasing some of his hostages, Mendoza demanded that his son be brought to Manila via an Air Force helicopter. But Philippine Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Miguel Okol said, "There is no official request so far. We're monitoring the situation."

Mendoza wrote some of his demands on paper and posted it on the bus windows.

Before noon, he posted message about his demands:
"Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision."
"Big deal will start after 3 p.m. today."
"Three p.m. today dead lock."

Later Mendoza asked hostage negotiators — Superintendent Orlando Yebra and Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador — to load up another gallon of gasoline into the air-conditioned bus. Earlier in the day, he asked that the bus be refueled.  He sought for an interview with a broadcast journalist to help him negotiate with authorities for his demand to be reinstated to work.


The Tragic Death of Mendoza
8/23/2010

Six captives survived, four of whom were seen crawling out the back door of the bus after Philippine police stormed it Monday evening when the hostage-taker started shooting at the 15 Chinese tourists inside, said police Senior Superintendent Nelson Yabut.

He said the hostage-taker was killed with a sniper shot to the head after he wounded a police sharpshooter.

One other hostage was hospitalized in critical condition, and five others were unharmed. Officials have yet to disclose the fate of the remaining two hostages.