Ombudsman to hostage negotiator: Let's pose for a picture

After writing her letter of assurance to dismissed Chief Inspector Rolando Mendoza, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez asked if she could pose for a picture with Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, who was supposed to deliver the message to the hostage-taker. At the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) hearing at the Department of Justice in Manila, Moreno said he dropped by the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City to relay Mendoza's demand that his robbery-extortion case be dismissed. The Ombudsman wrote a letter assuring the hostage taker that she would "personally" review the case. On November 5, 2009, Mendoza appealed for a reconsideration of the case’s ruling. Moreno had offered to hand deliver the Ombudsman’s letter to Mendoza at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, where the dismissed policeman was holding 21 Hong Kong tourists inside a bus. But as Moreno was leaving, Gutierrez made the request for a picture-taking, catching Moreno off guard, even as the Manila vice mayor said he initially did not take the Ombudsman's request seriously. "Ang inisip ko bakit naman Ombudsman, fan ko po ba kayo," said Moreno, who used to be a movie star before entering into politics. As it turned out, Gutierrez only wanted to make sure that Mendoza would be convinced that her letter of assurance indeed came from her. "Baka kasi sakaling hindi maniwala si Mendoza na nag-meet tayo, para hindi ka na bumalik," Moreno recounted the Ombudsman as explaining to him. Moreno said he took his picture with the Ombudsman using a camera phone.

PROOF. Just to convince hostage-taker dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno (left) took a picture with Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (second from left) after the latter issued a letter assuring a review of the dismissed police officer's case. Courtesy of Vice Mayor Isko Moreno

Still, Mendoza ended up not liking the contents of the letter Moreno delivered to him, even calling it "basura [trash]." Seeing his brother SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza on television being arrested by police, further agitated the hostage-taker and prompted him to fire a warning shot. Mendoza was finally shot dead, but not before eight hostages were killed and others were hurt. During the same meeting with the Ombudsman, Moreno said Gutierrez even pointed out that her office was being lenient on Mendoza's case for accepting his motion for reconsideration (MR) beyond the reglamentary period. The Ombudsman's dismissal order for Mendoza was handed September 2009, while the motion for reconsideration was filed two months later. "Sabi ni Ombudsman, nag-prescribe na nga yung MR, pero tinaggap pa rin niya at pending ngayon ang reconsideration," Moreno said. — LBG, GMANews.TV