Cebu eyes FBI, US cops for crisis management training

The Cebu provincial government is considering inviting foreign experts, including those from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States police force, to help train its Special Reaction Unit for hostage-taking incidents and other crises. Radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate said aside from US experts, Cebu officials are also considering inviting experts from Israel. According to the radio report, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia also ordered the provincial police to submit a list of equipment they will need for such crises. Cebu is one of the country's major tourist destinations. On August 23, in an 11-hour hostage drama, nine persons were killed– eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and the hostage-taker, Rolando Mendoza, a dismissed senior police inspector. Mendoza hijacked a tourist bus in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila and held hostage 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. A report on dzXL radio said the governor plans to invite FBI experts to conduct the training courses. The provincial police, on the other hand, is mulling experts from the Los Angeles Police District and New York Police Department. Police personnel review crisis management skills In Western Visayas, police are reviewing their crisis management skills as well. Regional police director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. ordered all provincial and city directors to conduct the review. On Friday, Pagdilao gathered members of the regional staff and commanders of different Special Weapons and Tactics units for a crisis management workshop. The seminar drew up step-by-step procedures in managing hostage crises and handling media, the news site "The News Today" reported. Pagdilao also directed the Regional Public Information Office to draw up a protocol that will define the proper conduct of the media in covering hostage incidents and other crises. Although the police cannot force a news blackout, Pagdilao said the police and the media can come up with a set of ground rules that both institutions can observe such as self-restriction during live coverages to avoid jeopardizing police operations. Pagdilao said there should also be an inventory of the pool of negotiators. “We could not assume that anybody could negotiate. There must be someone who have undergone a course and has the expertise and skills in negotiation. So those who are trained to negotiate will have to impart these knowledge and skills to others," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV