Palace: Lim’s alleged order during hostage crisis ‘not irregular’

Malacañang said there was "nothing irregular" if Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim was indeed the one who ordered the police assault in Monday's hostage crisis, wherein nine persons were killed— eight Hong tourists and the hostage-taker, Rolando Mendoza. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma said Lim, being the Manila mayor, has supervisory powers over the Manila Police District (MPD), which was trying to resolve the standoff. "Ang MPD, meron ding supervisory power ang mayor of Manila. Hindi naman kataka-taka or irregular magiging involved si Mayor Lim. Ang ground commander sa krisis si Chief Superintendent Magtibay ng MPD. May supervision ang mayor doon sa police force," Coloma said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (The mayor has supervisory powers over the Manila Police District. So it is not irregular that Lim would be involved, considering the ground commander was MPD head Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay. The mayor has supervision over the police force.) Coloma added that Lim, one of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III's most vocal political allies, had been a "professional police officer" while he was in the police force, before he ran for public office. "Si Mayor Lim ay professional police officer noong siya nanilbihan sa pulis. Di pwede sabhihing di niya alam ang kanyang ginagawa (Lim is a professional police officer when he was with the police force. You cannot say he did not know what he was doing)," he said. On Thursday, Magtibay told a Senate hearing it was Lim who ordered the arrest of SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, the brother of the hostage-taker Rolando, a dismissed Senior Inspector. Lim denied Magtibay's allegations, however. On August 23, Rolando hijacked a bus in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, filled with 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. Media footage of the arrest of Gregorio, the hostage-taker's brother, was blamed for Rolando's sudden change of mood as he started firing shots, prompting the police to assault the bus. Meanwhile, Malacañang has not reacted yet to proposals for the government to issue guidelines on media coverage of hostage crises and similar situations. Coloma said President Benigno Simeon Aquino III does not want to be the one to impose "prior restraint" or censorship on media. "Ayaw niya mag-impose ng prior restraint or censorship. Siya mismo hindi siya nagisip o nagbigay ng utos na dapat gawin namin yan. Ang prinsipyo ng aming tinitingnan dito self-regulation and self-discipline (The president does not want to impose prior restraint or censorship. He does not think of that. We are more on the principle of self-regulation and self-discipline in media)," Coloma said. Coloma said Aquino is still awaiting the investigators' report about the incident. Coloma assured the public that the decisions that will be made after the investigation will be "just." "Hihintayin niya ang buong ulat. Makatitiyak tayo ang kanyang aksyon na gagawin makatwiran at makatarungan (He is waiting for the full report. You can be sure his actions will be just)," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV