MANILA, Philippines - The tourist bus and the area around it were littered with spent shells from rifles and handguns. From hostage taker Rolando Mendoza, police recovered an M-16 assault rifle with three magazines, a .45-caliber Colt pistol with three magazines, two police handcuffs, a dagger, gun licenses, a Philippine National Police mission order as well as his PNP ID card.
How did a man dismissed from the police force seven months ago have in his possession all those weapons and a lot of ammunition? Where did Mendoza get so much ammunition when the PNP issues bullets so sparingly to its members?
In other countries, mere suspension requires a cop to turn over to his unit not just his service firearm but also his badge. In this country, a cop dismissed from the service for extortion can continue wearing his uniform and keep two weapons, one of them an assault rifle. Little wonder then that many dismissed cops have been implicated in carjacking, kidnapping and bank robbery, sometimes serving as gang leaders themselves.
In Mendoza’s case, his Manila Police District uniform and rifle helped him persuade the driver of the ill-fated tourist bus that he needed to hitch a ride to the Quirino Grandstand. Even if Mendoza’s case was on appeal, he should have been immediately disarmed after the order for his dismissal was issued by the Office of the Ombudsman. A dismissed officer can be allowed to wield guns again only if the order is reversed. If the appeal is rejected and the order becomes final, an officer dismissed for dishonorable causes must never be authorized to own a gun again.
Where did Mendoza obtain his guns and ammunition? Can police handcuffs be obtained in the sidewalks of Manila? Tracing the source of the weapons should be included in the investigation of the handling of the hostage situation staged by Mendoza last Monday. Guns give some people the illusion of power. Two days ago, Mendoza played out the illusion, with lethal results.
