Computer simulation shows police may have hit hostages

A COMPUTER simulation of the Aug. 23 tour-bus shootout at the Quirino Grandstand revealed that the shots fired by police into the hijacked vehicle could have hit the Chinese hostages, eight of whom died of gunshot wounds, Hong Kong’s government media reported Wednesday.

The simulation, played during a public hearing on the hostage crisis in Manila, did not identify the specific shots that directly struck the hostages, but showed that a number fired through the windshield by police could have struck someone inside, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.

At a hearing Wednesday, the National Bureau of Investigation also said that police autopsies showed no signs that the victims were shot at close range.

President Benigno Aquino III, criticized over the way the international hostage incident was handled, has scheduled a no-holds-barred interview with three TV networks today.

His spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, said the panel that could ask anything related to the hostage incident would be made up of network anchors Ted Failon for ABS-CBN, Mike Enriquez or Mel Tiangco for GMA-7 Network, and Paolo Bediones for TV-5.

The interview starts at 1 p.m. and will last for one-and-a-half hours. It will be aired live over Radyo ng Bayan, NBN-4 and ABS-CBN news channel ANC.

The interview was aimed at putting an end to all speculation as to what President Aquino had been doing during the crucial moments of the hostage crisis, Lacierda said.

“There have been questions on what he did and the most prudent thing [to do] is to settle these questions,” he said.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the NBI’s medico-legal chief, Floresto Arizala Jr., said police autopsies showed no sign of “smudging, tattoing, or burning” on the bodies of the victims—four men and four women—that would indicate that weapons had been discharged near them. Three of the victims were shot in the head.

Arizala said the NBI was unable to conduct its own autopsy and was merely working with reports submitted by the police.

“It was an inference,” Arizala said of the NBI’s initial finding.

“We would anticipate mentions of smudging, tattooing or burning, but they were absent.”

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who heads the commission investigating the incident, said the NBI finding was inconclusive and further inquiry was needed.

Earlier, the driver of the bus, Alberto Lubang, told the panel that the hostage taker, dismissed police officer Rolando Mendoza, was near the hostages when he shot them.

Speaking to reporters after a re-enactment of the hostage-taking inside the Hong Thai bus, De Lima said it was crucial to establish if the victims had in fact been shot at close range.

“We will really look into the cause of death and injuries of the victims,” she said.

“Are all of these caused by the hostage-taker or were there victims of crossfire? We will find out. We are trying to be careful in attending to these findings.”

NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula said the bureau would come up with the results of the ballistic tests on the firearms used by Mendoza and the police SWAT team that assaulted the bus.

“It is being conducted jointly with Hong Kong,” Gatdula said.

“The teams will be arriving on Friday.”

Gatdula said the Hong Kong government had better technology and could generate faster results of the ballistic tests than Manila could.

Also at Wednesday’s hearing, the reporters covering the hostage-taking were criticized for putting ratings ahead of human lives.

Teresita Ang See, a member of the commission, said the reporters who interviewed Mendoza and the hostages had violated their own code of ethics as broadcasters.

Earlier in the day, tour guide Dianna Chan corroborated the details of Lubang’s testimony.

She said the Hong Thai bus left Fort Santiago in Intramuros around 9:50 a.m., ending confusion over the exact time that Mendoza took the bus passengers hostage.

Lubang said they reached the Quirino Grandstand around 10 a.m., contrary to the earlier testimony by members of the SWAT team who said they were in the area by 9:15 a.m.

De Lima said the police had erred in entering the time in their incident report at the Luneta police precinct. When she inspected the precinct blotter on Tuesday afternoon, the entry had already been corrected.

Chan said Mendoza had told her about the cases against him and how he had lost all his benefits.

In the afternoon, the members of the commission went to the Hong Thai bus, stored in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, and witnessed a re-enactment of the hostage-taking with the driver.

“We confirmed Lubang’s testimony. He really can’t see the TV from the driver’s seat,” she said.

The commission wrapped up its hearings Wednesday night after five days of testimony from witnesses and experts. It is expected to pinpoint who should be held liable for the botched rescue attempt and recommend reforms to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Rey Requejo, Manila Standard Today