MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police leadership will conduct a probe into the circumstances that resulted to the death of eight people who were taken hostage by a dismissed police officer inside a tourist bus in Manila yesterday.
PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said they will launch investigation to assess how the police ground commanders handled the hostage crisis.
"The outcome of the hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand is indeed very unfortunate that should warrant a thorough investigation," Verzosa said in a statement.
He said they will continue to work closely with other government agencies to make sure the victims and their families get the necessary services while still in our country.
The PNP hierarchy, however, will not pass judgment in the meantime on the members of the Manila Police District and other units that were involved in the operation to rescue the hostages, according to the PNP head.
"We will hold passing any judgment on what went wrong or what went right until we receive the final report from a team of experts who will look into all circumstances surrounding the hostage taking incident," Verzosa added.
Yesterday morning, former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza held hostage a tourist bus carrying mostly Chinese nationals and demanded to be reinstated in the police force. - By Dennis Carcamo
