Hijacker's brother denies telling Mendoza to reject talks with negotiators

SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza denied on Monday he told his brother, hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza, to reject talks at the height of the August 23 hostage crisis. "Ang sabi ko sa kanya, 'Tol, di pa niya binabalik ang baril ko," (I told him, brother, he has not yet returned my gun)," said Gregorio, referring to assistant negotiator Romeo Salvador. Gregorio said he had the chance to tell this to his brother when negotiators asked him to accompany them in delivering a letter from the Office of the Ombudsman, saying that Rolando's case will be reviewed. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, chairperson of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC), asked Gregorio to confirm whether he uttered the following sentence: "Tol, pag di binalik itong baril ko, huwag ka nang pumayag sa usapan (Brother, if they don't return my gun, do not accept any agreement." Gregorio replied, "Hindi po (No)." The controversial arrest During Monday's IIRC proceedings, it was learned that chief negotiator Superintendent Orlando Yebra was the one who recommended to the local crisis management committee that Gregorio should be charged for being an accessory to the crime and a co-conspirator. Yebra reportedly said this because Gregorio told his brother not accept to accept any agreements with the negotiators. Upon returning to the command post at a police community precinct near the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, local crisis committee head Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim reportedly ordered the handcuffing of Gregorio. However, because no handcuff was available there, Lim reportedly ordered policemen to take Gregorio to another precinct. On Monday, Gregorio said when he learned that he will be taken to a police car through the command post's rear door, he became alarmed and ran to the media, who were stationed in front of the command post. "Bakit ka natakot (Why were you afraid)?" asked De Lima. Gregorio replied: "Matagal na po ako sa serbisyo at ganung mga salita (ni Lim) ay nakakatakot po sa akin. Kung malinis po ang intensyon nila, dapat doon sa labas at hindi doon sa madilim." (I have been in the service for a long time and those statements are scary for me. If their intentions were pure, they should have brought me to a well-lighted area, not to a dark area.) "Kaya po ako tumakbo ay para iiwas ko ang sarili ko na may mangyaring masama...Eh ilalagay po nila ako sa sasakyan, kaya naisip kong may masamang mangyayari sa akin, kaya hinanap ko talaga yung media," he added. (I ran to prevent something bad from happening to me. They were going to place me inside a vehicle and I thought something bad could happen to me that's why I looked for the media.) De Lima then asked him, "Hindi kaya dahil nag-attract na kayo ng atensyon, at nagkakagulo na nang kaunti doon kaya tinuluyan na kayong arestuhin?" (Didn't you attract attention and caused a commotion that's why you were arrested?) Gregorio replied, "Hindi po ako nagwala, Ma'am. Sinisigaw ko lang po na wala akong kasalanan." (I did not cause a commotion, Ma'am. I was just shouting that I did not do anything wrong.) The Manila police's arrest of Gregorio was broadcast on live television, which Mendoza saw on the bus. What followed was the hostage-taker's shooting rampage against the hostages, eight of whom died. –VVP, GMANews.TV