CHR launches parallel probe into Monday's hostage crisis

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has launched a parallel investigation into Monday's bloody hostage crisis in Manila where nine tourists from Hong Kong were killed. Commissioner Jose Manuel Mamauag said the investigation would focus on two human rights aspects of the incident. In an interview with GMANews.TV, Mamauag said the CHR would be looking into the exchange of fire between SWAT team members and hostage-taker, dismissed police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, and the arrest of Mendoza's brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, which was believed to have aggravated the already volatile situation. Mamauag said that while the main issue of the crisis was the hostage-taking incident, it was also important to consider whether human rights violations were committed in the course of the almost 11-hour standoff. "There is [also] a hint of human rights issue here so we are conducting a parallel and impartial investigation," he said. Mamauag said he has already deployed two of their lawyers to interview the SWAT operatives who responded to the hostage drama as well as the relatives of the hostage-taker. "We will prioritize this because it involved not only the multiple deprivation of lives, but also because it involved persons who are not Filipinos," he said. The hostage crisis started past 10 a.m. when Rolando hijacked a bus with more than 20 people, mostly tourists from Hong Kong, in it and ordered it parked near the Quirino Grandstand at Luneta. Rolando, dismissed for a robbery-extortion case, demanded that he be reinstated to service. Who shot who? Mamauag stressed the importance of knowing whether it was Rolando who rained shots and killed the hostages or the snipers missing their targets. Authorities earlier said they were prompted to launch an assault after the suspect fired shots from within the bus. "We welcome all details and we'll study [the incident] frame by frame. Which shot came from where?" Mamauag said. The CHR official said they are also looking into the possibility that "arbitrary arrest, forcible apprehension, and compulsion" could have been committed by members of the Manila Police District policemen against the hostage-taker's brother. Mamauag said the rights body was prompted to carry out a "motu proprio" investigation after seeing on television how the SWAT handled the arrest of Gregorio. Negotiations were said to be going smoothly until Rolando saw - through a television set mounted inside the bus - how the policemen treated his brother. "There seems to be a forcible taking of a family member, rightfully covered by the media," Mamauag said. It was this scene that purportedly changed Rolando's mood after what seemed like a smooth negotiation since Monday morning. Conspirator Initially, Gregorio was tapped as a "conduit" between the negotiators and the hostage-taker, Manila vice mayor Isko Moreno said in an interview with radio dzBB earlier in the day. But Moreno said when Gregorio started becoming uncooperative, negotiators declared him a "conspirator" and took him away from the area. Authorities said Gregorio tried going into the bus to negotiate with his brother without authorization from the police. "It would not have happened had they invited the help of family members, mercifully and begging. But he saw something different on TV, so right there and then he arrived at a decision," Mamauag said. He said it was the obligation of government forces to ensure the safety of the hostages throughout the hostage drama. "State security does not only cover citizens but also non-residents," he said. Mamauag said that while it was not a bad idea after all to have asked the help of Gregorio in the negotiations, the authorities should have first evaluated his intention. "Before getting a conduit for the negotiating team, we should know which side he is on and whose interest." "Was he properly briefed as part of the process. He must have his limited set of roles and tasks," he added. Mamauag said the CHR would be continuing its investigation, while acknowledging the parallel probes separately being done by the police and the National Bureau of Investigation. "We are going to be very discreet about this without taking all the bright lights," Mamauag said. — LBG/KBK, GMANews.TV