CAPT. ROLANDO MENDOZA'S TRAGIC END

Photo taken from the internet

I have always known this hostage crisis initiated by Rolando Mendoza would end tragically by the time the Manila Police picked up his brother and relatives against their will. They accused his brother of conspiracy and accessory to the crime. Any person with a good grasp of common sense would know the situation will only aggravate the unstable emotional state of former Capt. Rolando Mendoza.


I have learned from the news that the reason why Capt. Mendoza held a tourist bus full of Chinese nationals in the morning of Aug. 21 was that he would like to be reinstated in the service and that the Office of the Ombudsman should review his case. Mendoza was dismissed from the police service after found guilty of extortion and allegedly asked Christian Kalaw to swallow a sachet of illegal drug known as shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride). Christian Kalaw, a chef, was allegedly arrested by Capt. Mendoza of illegal parking, driving without license and possession of illegal drugs.

The situation looks promising at first. Capt. Mendoza releases hostages every now and then. He seemed harmless enough when he was seen waving at the media after releasing some of his captives. Police were optimistic. They even speculated it would be over soon. He was open to negotiations and he has never hurt anybody even after declaring a deadlock at 3pm. It only took a drastic turn of events when the Manila police arrested his brother and a couple of relatives. Mendoza's brother, also a policeman, refused to be taken since he said he'd be killed by the police officers. This, I believe, has provoked Mendoza to turn amok and fire some shots inside the bus.

As I was watching the live news coverage, I was in rage. It only takes a simple analogy on what will happen if Capt. Mendoza will see how his relatives are dragged despite of their pleas. Minutes later, shots were heard inside the bus and I said, I told you so.

Later on, I saw the bus driver escaped through the driver's window screaming, "Everybody's dead!, Everybody's dead!". It took a while for the police officers and SWAT team to set themselves up, not to mention break a simple door alone.

Shots were further exchanged and later on, teargas was thrown inside the bus. Were they able to confirm if all hostages are dead? Weren't they able to hear any voices or cries inside? How can they carelessly raid the bus without any confirmation if there are still innocent lives at stake? Should the use of force needed at all?

The hostage ended tragically. Capt. Mendoza was shot to the head was found hanging dead on the bus' door. One by one, hostages were pulled out and no, not all hostages are dead. The SWAT team and the police officers threw a tear gas and open fired with civilians inside. How dumber could these guys get?

Please don't take me wrongly. I don't consent to Capt. Mendoza's action. What I'm saying is, the situation could have been handled carefully. Nobody has to die, nobody has to get hurt. The hostages' well-being should have been the utmost priority of these officers. A certain police superintendent told the media all the hostages have been killed when in fact, they weren't. You guys had an army of men out there and you can't confirm the truth? For God's sakes, you can't even bust a single door.

I later on learned that you had to take a quick practice at the back of the crime scene to learn how to handle the situation. Now, we'd be a laughing stock of the whole world again.

I have utmost respect for all policemen, soldiers and firefighters alike. What I don't really like is when I see a single policeman torturing an arrested suspect leading to his death or a group of policemen carelessly endangering the lives of innocent civilians.

Capt. Mendoza died fighting for his cause. He chose death over injustice. It's not everyday we see someone so passionate for what he believes in resulting to drastic actions. No, we there won't be any 21-gun salute on his funeral for sure. Others may regard him as foolish or idiotic but who are we to judge?

Only those who had been aggrieved would understand. Only those who had suffered injustice will see the reasons why. Only Capt. Mendoza could justify what he had done and why. But we can't hear his tale. The hostage drama which seemed to be promising to end peacefully turned out to be a disaster.

In the end, the question I ask, who really has done the most error in this crisis?