Palace: Heads will roll in govt over hostage crisis

A number of government officials may lose their jobs because of the handling of the August 23 hostage crisis that resulted in the deaths of eight tourists from Hong Kong, Malacañang said Monday. At a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Malacañang will trust the findings of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) led by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima which is currently holding hearings on the government's handling of the incident. Asked if President Benigno Aquino III will spare no one should the IIRC recommend that certain government officials be held accountable for the incident, Lacierda said: "He (Aquino) promised heads will roll. That's the statement he has made." "We are letting the investigation committee take its course. It has been a very credible investigation process and we will wait for the report and the conclusions and recommendations of the investigation committee," said the Palace spokesman, adding that the Palace expects the independent body's investigation to be "fair" and "thorough." Lacierda said no government official has formally offered to resign in light of the hostage crisis, although some officials have issued statements to media their willingness to leave their posts should it be necessary. DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order Rico Puno, who was directly overseeing PNP operations at the time, has said he may resign if the IIRC finds him culpable for the deaths of the hostages. Presidential Communications Operations head Sonny Coloma also said he will resign if the president wants him to. The Palace's communications group has been widely criticized for not reining in the media at the time, as the media's live coverage of the incident is believed to have provided the hostage-taker, Rolando Mendoza, vital information such as troop movement. So far, four team leaders of the Manila police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit that responded to the hostage crisis have been relieved from their posts. Chief Inspector Santiago Pascual, Senior Police Officer 4 Reynaldo Antonio, SPO3 Alfonso Gameng, and SPO2 Bernardo Espinosa were placed in "administrative relief" two days after the bloody hostage crisis. Manila Police District (MPD) Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, the ground commander at the time of the crisis, has gone on leave. Aquino last week owned up to the way the government handled the hostage crisis, which has been criticized both locally and internationally. "At the end of the day, I am responsible for everything that has transpired," the President said last Friday. Aquino issued the statement in defense of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, whose department was supposed to oversee Philippine National Police (PNP) operations. Robredo is currently vice chairman of the IIRC. Aquino had earlier admitted tasking Robredo to focus on matters concerning the local government, while DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno would oversee police matters and public safety issues, including critical incidents such as hostage-taking. — RSJ, GMANews.TV