Friendly fire may have killed some hostages — De Lima

Initial findings of the fact-finding body looking into the August 23 hostage tragedy in Manila show that hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza may not have fired the shots that killed some of the eight hostages, all of them tourists from Hong Kong. At a press briefing Thursday, Justice secretary Leila de Lima, head of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC), said the issue on whether some of the hostages were killed by “friendly fire" will be tackled on Monday during the panel’s internal session to be attended by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). “There is always a possibility," De Lima said when asked if some of the hostages may have been killed by friendly fire. “We should not miss that. If that is the case then we should never miss that. Otherwise our report will be less than thorough given these discrepancies now," she added. Based on the NBI’s forensic findings as reported during the IIRC hearing on Wednesday, 30 of the 41 bullets that hit the ill-fated Hong Thai travel bus came from the outside, contradicting the PNP’s claim that the only shots fired by the police during the rescue operations came from snipers. “Konti yung mga palabas, mas marami yung papasok (Few were aimed outward, more were inward)," De Lima said.

The findings also contradicted bus driver Alfredo Lubang’s testimony that Mendoza, a dismissed policeman demanding his reinstatement, shot the hostages at point blank. Lubang also claimed that he did not hear the victims scream when they were being shot at, while in an audio recording by radio station RMN, which was at that time interviewing Mendoza, the cries of the victims were audible. Lubang also said Mendoza only used his M16 automatic rifle when he opened fire, but evidence showed that the hostage-taker also used a .45-caliber pistol. De Lima said Lubang’s mental state will be taken into consideration by the committee, adding that the driver, handcuffed to the steering wheel during the 11-hour hostage crisis, may have been affected psychologically by the ordeal. “Baka nasa state of shock na siya the whole time," she said of Lubang. De Lima also said they are not discounting the possibility that Mendoza and Lubang were conspirators. “Syempre, pag prober ka din, kailangan imaginative ka, malikot, madumi ang isip mo (When you’re an investigator, you should be imaginative. You should be incredulous)," she said. The IIRC finished obtaining the testimonies of key people involved in the hostage crisis on Wednesday. On Friday, the team sent to Hong Kong by the IIRC and the NBI is expected to return to the Philippines, bearing the testimony of the survivors of the hostage crisis. The investigators will present their findings before the IIRC on Monday. The IIRC will also ask for the forensic report prepared by Hong Kong officials, which includes an examination of the bullets in the victims’ bodies, to help speed up the investigation. The final report of the IIRC will be completed and submitted to President Benigno Aquino III on or before September 17. Whether or not the contents of the report will be disclosed to the public will be up to him. Meanwhile, former President Joseph Estrada pinned the blame on the botched rescue operations by the Manila Police District on Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. He said Lim should take responsibility for the incident. “Yung pagkakamali nung mga nasa ibaba niya, siya na ang umako (Lim should take responsibility for the mistakes of those under his command)," Estrada said in an interview aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras." Lim shrugged off Estrada’s accusation. “He’s entitled to his own opinion, this is a free country," he said in the same “24 Oras" report. - KBK, GMANews.TV