Daily Tribune (Philippines)

Isko haunted by Manila Hostage Crisis

Eleven years to the day Monday, the 11-hour standoff killed nine persons inside a bus, including sacked hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza

With eyes welling up and his hands on a cup of coffee shaking, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso remembered the bloody “Manila Hostage Crisis” carnage that shocked the world and earned for the Philippine­s widespread condemnati­on 11 years ago to the day yesterday.

During a visit to the Quirino Grandstand to check on the City of Manila’s drive-through vaccinatio­n operation, Domagoso glumly told this writer that the killing of eight hostages by a disgruntle­d police officer has continued to haunt him through the years, nightmares still waking him up at times, cold, sweaty and breathing heavily.

Days later after this interview, Domagoso would check himself in at the Sta. Ana Hospital after testing positive for the coronaviru­s disease 2019.

As the Vice Mayor then, Domagoso recalled getting a marching order from then-Mayor Alfredo Lim to immediatel­y proceed to the Office of the Ombudsman to forward a demand of hostage-taker, dismissed police captain Rolando Mendoza, for his reinstatem­ent to the force.

With the proverbial wings on his feet, Domagoso said he went to the Ombudsman to get an official communicat­ion “reconsider­ing its earlier decision sacking the police officer.”

“It took a lot of explaining, of cajoling, of appealing to their sense of averting bloodshed, but I got the Ombudsman’s signed letter. It was sealed inside a brown envelop that I immediatel­y carried so Mendoza would release the hostages and peacefully surrender,” he said.

Domagoso said all was for naught even if the letter proved to be an assurance from the Ombudsman that Mendoza’s case would be looked into by the office. He said he arrived at the Quirino Grandstand to a scene of utter chaos as the brother of the hostage-taker, also a police officer, was arrested for bringing a gun into the scene of the standoff.

His brother being bodily carried by police officers, all throughout while being broadcast live by television stations, tipped Mendoza to the precipice, to the point of no return.

With elements of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) attacking the bus while again being broadcast live, successive gunshots were heard coming from inside the bus, along with muzzle flashes apparently from Mendoza’s M16 rifle.

“Those moments I shall never ever forget,” Mayor Domagoso said. “I know that it did not have to end that way as I think I already secured what Mendoza wanted — a look into his allegation that he was not afforded due process of law.”

“In a flash, eight hostages lost their lives and a sniper had to take out Mendoza, too, before he could kill many more. It was 11 hours of emotions taking rollercoas­ter rides — from moments like it would end peacefully to tense developmen­ts,” he said.

Mendoza was sacked over a chef’s complaint that the policeman accosted him for an alleged traffic violation, planted drugs on his person, and then demanded P20,000 for his release.

Isko: I know that it did not have to end that way as I think I already secured what Mendoza wanted — a look into his allegation that he was not afforded due process of law.