NEWS: Tourist Bus held hostage at Luneta (Aug 23 2010)

[Monseratto]

On going event. An ex-policeman carrying an armalite rifle has taken hostage a tourist bus which include school children from Hong Kong parked at Quirino Grandstand. The ex policeman was the head of the Manila mobile group that made "hulidap" a La Sallite student/chef that was forced to swallow shabu and withdraw money from his ATM. He was dismissed from service last January. As usual, magulo na naman mga taga media. Hope it ends peacefully. Another blackeye to our tourist industry.

[niky]

It's on ANC right now.

Dayumn. Instant fame and the chance to get shot by a sniper?

[Monseratto]

Hehehe, nasa international news ang 'pinas ulit! For the wrong reason...

AP News Source

Ex-policeman in Philippines holds tourists hostage

MANILA, Philippines – A dismissed policeman armed with an automatic rifle seized a bus in the Philippine capital Monday with 25 passengers aboard, most of them Hong Kong tourists, in a bid to demand his reinstatement, police said.

Police sharpshooters took positions around the white-blue-red bus, which was parked near a downtown Manila park, and negotiations to free the hostages were under way, deputy director of Manila police Alex Gutierrez said.

Two of the Hong Kong tourists, both women, were released and were being debriefed by police, Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay said. Police had earlier reported that the tourists were from South Korea but later corrected themselves.

Others on the bus included three Filipinos — a driver, a guide and a photographer, Magtibay said.

The hostage-taker, identified as former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, was armed with an M16 rifle. He demanded that he be given back his job on the police force a year after he was fired, Magtibay said.

Mendoza hitched a ride on the bus from the historic walled city of Intramuros and then "declared he is taking the passengers hostage" when the bus reached Jose Rizal Park alongside Manila Bay.

The area also includes the seaside U.S. Embassy and a number of hotels.

The curtains on the bus windows were drawn and live TV footage showed two police negotiators walking to and from the bus and communicating with Mendoza from the window near the driver's seat.

Magtibay said they were also using the driver's cell phone to talk to Mendoza.

"We should really resolve this quickly so that it will not have a wider effect," Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said.

[oliver1013]

Mr Sniper, you may squeeze the trigger if you have a clear shot!! Ya Really!

[donbuggy]

^ We can't have that. We must respect the human rights of the alleged hostage taker.

[chua_riwap]

It was learned that Mendoza is a former recipient of the 1986 Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines (TOPP) of the Jaycees International.

Sayang........

[Monseratto]

Nasa headline ng mga major international new org...



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11055015

'Sacked policeman' seizes Manila bus in hostage drama

former policeman armed with a high-powered assault rifle has seized a bus in the Philippine capital, Manila, police say.

The gunman, reportedly sacked over robbery and drugs claims, is demanding his job back, local media says.

Children were reported to be among at least 20 passengers, mainly South Koreans, on the tourist bus.

Officials named the suspect as a senior inspector sacked amid allegations of robbery and extortion.

Negotiations with the gunman are reportedly taking place.

The bus is believed to be carrying up to 26 foreign tourists, including some children, and was stationary at Luneta Park when the gunman appeared.

"We are still trying to determine the circumstances of the hijacking and what happened," metropolitan Manila police commander, Director Leocadio Santiago said over DZBB radio in Manila.

"There are children and adults on the bus," he said.

Mr Santiago said the gunman has been identified as Rolando Mendoza, a former senior police inspector who was sacked in 2008 over allegations of robbery, extortion and drug-related crimes.

[chua_riwap]

As per ANC, supposed to be, yung mga tourists on the way sila sa Manila Ocean Park, at mostly pala mga HongKong nationals not Koreans as stated earlier.

[vito corleone]

i'm sure there's a justifiable reason that forced this man to do this act, like "kailangan ko lang ng pera para mapakain ang pamilya ko kaya ko nagawa ito, matagal na kasi akong walang trabaho"




as if the bombings in the south are not enough to scare away potential tourists, enters this stupid guy

[navigator2377]

Oh my... CHR on standby... I hope this will end soon in a peaceful manner.. Watching video footage now courtesy of gmanews.tv.

[uls]

i'm sure there's a justifiable reason that forced this man to do this act, like "kailangan ko lang ng pera para mapakain ang pamilya ko kaya ko nagawa ito, matagal na kasi akong walang trabaho"

tingin ko clinically depressed yan

maybe he hit rock bottom

[shadow]

maganda ngayon ang pag secure nila ng area ah, hinde makalapit mga medias.

[uls]

baka may magpasikat uli na politician

remember Chavit sa isang hostage bus dati?

[Monseratto]

A little background...

http://services.inquirer.net/print/p...0080527-139020

5 Manila policemen accused of extortion

Posted date: May 27, 2008


MANILA, Philippines – Five Manila policemen, one of them a former Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines awardee, were charged Monday with extortion and other related offenses after a hotel chef accused them of arresting him on false charges and then forcing him to eat shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).
Senior Insp. Rolando Mendoza, Insp. Nelson Lagasca, SPO1 Nestor David, PO3 Wilson Gavino and PO2 Roderick Lopena, members of the District Mobile Patrol Unit (DMPU), were charged with robbery, robbery-extortion, grave threats and physical injuries before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office based on a complaint filed by Christian Kalaw, 30.

Kalaw is a chef of a Makati hotel and a resident of Lipa City in Batangas province.

The victim, whose ordeal in the hands of the five policemen was first circulated on the Internet through e-mail, filed a formal affidavit only on Friday although the incident involving him and the suspects happened on April 9.

Kalaw said in his affidavit that on that day, he visited his cousin in his condominium unit on Taft Avenue corner Vito Cruz Street at around 10:30 p.m. He said he was about to leave in his car when Mendoza and Gavino accosted him, searched his vehicle and accused him of carrying drug paraphernalia.

The two policemen then ordered him to withdraw money from an automated teller machine in exchange for not filing drug charges against him, Kalaw said. He added that he refused and offered to undergo a drug test to prove his innocence.

He said the two took him to the parking lot of the Ospital ng Maynila where they forced him to swallow shabu so he would test positive for drug use.

Kalaw was then brought to the DMPU office where Lagasca and Mendoza reportedly demanded P200,000 from him in exchange for his freedom during “negotiations.”

He was only released the next day after a friend produced P20,000 and gave it to the policemen.

Mendoza, a former TOPP awardee who was deputy of the DMPU unit that night, denied the charges in an affidavit and said the accusations were only part of a “demolition job.”

Only he and Gavino were named in the e-mail but the three others were later identified by Kalaw.

[Negus]

There's also a report on national TV (NHK) over here. Our dept. chief is planning a 2 week tour of manila-cebu-bohol next month, he's japanese and they are known to be jumpy. It was my idea pa naman. nakakahiya.

[vito corleone]

There's also a report on national TV (NHK) over here. Our dept. chief is planning a 2 week tour of manila-cebu-bohol next month, he's japanese and they are known to be jumpy. It was my idea pa naman. nakakahiya.

pag nakidnap habang nandito yang buchou nyo, pwede ka nilang pagbintangan na kasabwat haha

[Negus]

hindi ko nga alam kung saan ko isusuksok ang sarili ko sa hiya eh. leche.

[uls]

haha

hey that happens

tell them there's a Japanese expat community here who simply loves the Philippines

you can find them hanging out at Kikufuji and Serena restaurants in Makati

[Monseratto]

The Hong Kong hostages in the bus are supposed to fly back home at 8 pm. Guess they'll be missing their flight...

[oliver1013]

Of all people who want to get the message across, a policeman taking tourist hostages. Wow. Someone just shoot his guy for endangering other people's lives, actually i dont think he'll kill anyone, make it, for ruining other people's schedules. Stupid F&%^3R!!