12hr Manila Hostage Taking

A 12-hour-breath-taking hostage scene at Manila ends up with nine casualties had put the Philippine into a hot seat situation and earned an ample critics over all the world. Around 9:30 am, former senior policeman Rolando Mendoza apprehended a Hongkong Tourist Bus for inspection and later on he told the driver that he will escort the bus into its destinations to provide safety along the road.

An hour later, the bus was already held captive by Rolando Mendoza drove to Manila Grand Stand Philippines. Station there, soon enough capture attentions and the Hostage drama was known by the Media and the PNP. Negotiation started.

The hostage taker reportedly hijacked the bus in an attempt to get his job back, from which he believes he was wrongly dismissed.

Mendoza was armed with an M-16 automatic rifle when he seized the bus and threatened to kill the hostages in a live telephone interview with a local radio station.

He said: ‘I can see there are many SWAT teams arriving, they are all around.’

‘I know they will kill me, I’m telling them to leave because anytime I will do the same here.’

Mendoza also reportedly screamed ‘all the hostages are dead’ at police who attempted to storm the bus.

Reports indicate that at least four Hong Kong tourists were killed on the bus, which was the scene of the ten-hour stand off.

At least seven hostages are believed to have left the vehicle alive, including a mother and her three children, a man with diabetes and two photographers.

Rolando Mendoza was decorated as the country’s top 10 police officers in 1986.  He had served as head of Manila’s Mobile Patrol Unit, the force’s frontline group dealing with the city’s street crimes, AFP reported.

Mendoza, 55, armed with M-16 assault rifle and dressed in combat pants commandeered the tourist bus near Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination, in a desperate bid to get his job back.

The gunman at different times of the day had released seven tourists, including children, but the rest were in his custody.

Stuck to the bus door was a piece of paper with the handwritten message: “BIG MISTAKE TO CORRECT A BIG WRONG DECISION”. A larger piece of paper on the front windshield was headed “RELEASE FINAL DECISION” and then what appeared to be details of his case.

Before the police assault began, the gunman had said that he had killed two Chinese. “I will finish them all if they do not stop,” he had told a local radio station.

After an hour-long negotiation broke down, Mendoza began shooting at the passengers. Police commandos stormed the bus, firing dozens of bullets into the vehicle.

Police said a tear-gas canister was thrown inside the bus before a sniper shot Mendoza dead as he used his captives as “human shields” in the final moments of the 12-hour standoff.

Members of the SWAT teams prepare to assault the tourist bus seized by dismissed police officer Rolando Mendoza. Police stormed the bus after shots were heard from the hostage-taker of 15 Chinese tourists and at least four of the hostages crawled out of the back door.

Details are still sketchy, but it was earlier reported the gunman “sprayed” the hostages with bullets from his M16 machine gun, despite earlier cooperating with police.

The 12-hour hostage taking had lost 9 lives that the whole world is now mourning, howbeit the hostage taking has been properly taken cared-off and saved all lives.