Bus undergoes forensic test

MANILA, Philippines - The tourist bus that was the scene of last Monday’s tragic hostage-taking incident at Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park in Manila is now the subject of a technical forensic test by a joint team from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The bus is now in the safekeeping of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

NCRPO commander Director Leocadio Santiago said the joint technical forensic inspection would be conducted under the supervision of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The technical forensic inspection will determine the trajectory of the bullets that went into and were fired from the bus to allay speculation that some of the Chinese tourists were killed by police fire.

This, as the DOJ yesterday said the inter-agency incident review committee, which aims to correct or remedy institutional defects that could have contributed to the bloody resolution of the hostage-taking last Monday, plans to wrap up its review within two to three weeks.

The reduction of the scheduled 60-day timeline to just two or three weeks was made after the Chinese government appealed to the Philippine government to speed up the investigation into the tragedy.

The DOJ said the NBI will take the lead in the investigation of the Aug. 23 hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand, where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.

DOJ Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar said the committee will look into the procedures to be employed before coming out with a report and recommendations to President Aquino.

“We will try to finish it within two to three weeks,” Salazar said, adding that the PNP will still play a role in the incident review committee and the Department of the Interior of Local Government (DILG), whose head will serve as vice chair of the committee, will be part of the committee.

He said representatives of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and Teresita Ang See, who heads an anti-crime advocacy group, will also be part of the committee.

Salazar said the panel aims to look into logistics, operational and administrative problems that led to the tragic incident and will try to determine what really happened.

Thorough investigation

The NBI has started backtracking the whole scenario due to conflicting reports on the incident.

Senior Investigator IV Cecilio Zamora, NBI spokesman, said the NBI’s Death Investigation Division and National Capital Region Division are currently conducting parallel investigations in order to help the PNP’s own investigation.

Unconfirmed reports had it that dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza took an M-16 rifle from the compartment of a Toyota Vios before boarding the Hong Thai Travel bus.

There was a news report that lawyer Jose Adolfo Cruz, a labor relations officer, was in his office across the entrance of Fort Santiago when he saw a car stop near the tourist bus that was later commandeered by Mendoza.

Cruz said that after the driver clad in “battle uniform” got inside the bus, a “middle-aged” woman in the front passenger seat took the wheel of the Vios and drove away.

Police and NBI authorities are now tracing the owner and whereabouts of the Vios.

Zamora said it has yet to be established if it was a woman or a man who drove the Vios and if indeed Mendoza rode that car or went to Fort Santiago via a taxicab.

The NBI had already taken the statements of bus driver Alberto Lubang, a Hong Kong national, and local tour guide Diana Chan, who was released earlier during the crisis.

No independent probe for HK

Malacañang, for its part, has assured Beijing of a fair and speedy investigation into the hostage-taking incident but said they could not conduct their own independent probe in deference to the country’s sovereignty.

“We will do everything to ensure that the findings will be comprehensive, thorough, accurate and that will be taken care of by the authorities who will attend to the investigation,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said over radio station dzRB.

“They are also a sovereign country. We just need to exchange opinions and consider that we are a sovereign nation and we also have our rights. There should be respect for each other on that aspect. Anyway, we are assuring them that we will have a just and reasonable fact-finding (inquiry),” Coloma said, adding that Hong Kong investigators were free to coordinate with local authorities.

He said even the call of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago to reorganize the National Police Commission to improve the performance of the police force must be considered after the investigation was completed.

President Aquino himself admitted that there were mistakes on the part of the authorities and guaranteed that these were being addressed.

“What happened should really not be repeated, especially the knowledge and the capability should have been present when the incident happened,” Mr. Aquino said. “There were those who had shortcomings, they are now paying for them.”

China: Bilateral ties will continue

Meanwhile, China said yesterday there is no reason to step back to block the development of bilateral relations with the Philippines because of the hostage-taking incident.

But it stayed firm in its position that a full report on the incident should be submitted first by the Philippine government before the two countries can talk about the visit of a high level-delegation from Manila.

“We have no reason to step back to block the development of bilateral relations because of this unfortunate incident,” said Sun Yi, deputy chief of the political section and spokesman of the Chinese embassy in Manila.

“I think this incident is isolated and actually this kind of tragedy is something both China and the Philippines do not want to see. But we hope this isolated incident will not exert negative impact on our relations,” he said in an interview.

Sun said China and the Philippines have kept in constant touch.

The high-level delegation led by Vice President Jejomar Binay said the Philippine government is awaiting finalization of arrangements with respect to the calls and meetings of the delegation that will proceed to the People’s Republic of China and thereafter to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

“As far as the visit of Vice President Binay, the two sides have been in consultation but the Chinese believe the priority now is we can get the data or report on the hijacking incident. Then we can talk about the visit,” Sun said. “I think this is also a consensus and both sides agree we should have a report in detail, full and fair report.”

On Tuesday, Binay led Philippine officials in welcoming Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao.

The ambassador was in Beijing to report on his work as China’s top diplomat in the Philippines since he has been posted in Manila for one year “but this time wrapped up his trip to Beijing ahead of the schedule” and returned to Manila because of the hostage-taking incident.

Binay extended to Liu the condolences of the Philippine government over the death of the eight Chinese nationals.

“We did receive confirmation from the Philippine government that this kind of report will be provided to the Chinese side as soon as possible,” he said.

The Chinese diplomat said China has accepted the apology of President Aquino as they have witnessed the work done by the Philippine government following the incident.

“I think the high-level exchange between China and the Philippines should continue. It is significant to the anniversary of our bilateral relations. I believe this visit will be conducted again,” he said.

‘Let time heal wounds’

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said it may take a while before the travel ban against the Philippines issued by the Hong Kong government will be lifted, and added that we should let time heal the wounds and the anger of the Hong Kong residents.

He added that any attempt by the Philippines at this time to ask for the recall of the “black” travel advisory against the country might just exacerbate the anger.

Lim was in Zamboanga City last Friday and joined religious groups led by Archbishop Romulo Valles, Chinese-Filipinos and the local government in a prayer vigil in memory of the eight Hong Kong nationals who died.

He expressed hope that such acts of sympathy would help ease the pain of the Hong Kong people.

Valles said the prayer vigil was a sign that Filipinos deeply feel the suffering of the Hong Kong people.

“It is also a way of showing our solidarity with their pain and sorrow, and also our shame as a nation that such a tragedy happened at our hands and in our soil,” he said. - With Aurea Calica, Pia Lee-Brago, Mike Frialde and Roel Pareño

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