Aquino: Those who had shortcomings will pay

President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III on Thursday vowed to hold accountable those who had shortcomings in handling the August 23 hostage-taking crisis that ended with the deaths of eight foreign hostages and the hostage-taker. "May mga nagkulang, may mga magbabayad (Some had shortcomings, so some will pay)," Aquino said in a speech during the ground breaking ceremony of a new building at the Rizal Technological University in Mandaluyong City. Aquino did not clarify whether more officials would be relieved from their posts. Four team leaders of the Manila police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit have been sacked so far, but Manila Police District (MPD) Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, who acted ground commander during the incident, is on leave. Aquino said he already instructed the Department of Justice and Department of Interior and Local Government to get to the bottom of the tragedy. The President said his administration has been bombarded with criticism for the way it handled the hostage crisis, wherein eight Chinese nationals from Hong Kong were killed. The hostage-taker, former police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, was eventually killed by a sniper. Warm reception Aquino said he was grateful for the warm reception he received at the university, where many students burst into shrieks of adulation as soon as the president's entourage entered the campus. "Nakita ko naman po na hindi nag-iisa si Noynoy (I saw that Noynoy is not alone)," said Aquino, once again using words often present in his presidential campaign, "Hindi ka nag-iisa." Mendoza hijacked a tourist bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Monday. The hostage drama turned bloody when the hostage-taker reportedly became angry after seeing his brother being arrested on a live television broadcast of the incident. The bus driver escaped and shouted as he ran that everyone on the bus was already dead. It was then that the police launched an assault on the bus. At the end of the 12-hour confrontation, Mendoza and eight tourists were found dead. The Aquino administration's handling of the crisis has drawn much criticism locally and abroad, with experts and analysts pointing out that police who handled the incident appeared to be poorly-trained and ill-equipped. The live coverage of the incident has also earned the ire of the public. Malacanang is trying to smooth out relations with Hong Kong by calling up and meeting with the special administrative region's officials. The Palace is also set to send a delegation led by Vice-President Jejomar Binay and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to Hong Kong. –VVP, GMANews.TV