Aquino: Hostage probe report sent to Chinese Embassy

(Updated 3:35 p.m.) The Philippine government has furnished the Chinese Embassy a copy of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee's (IIRC) findings on the August 23 hostage probe that killed eight Chinese tourists from Hong Kong, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said on Monday. "We gave them a copy to prevent any possibility of miscommunication or misunderstanding. We are repairing relations with the PROC (People's Republic of China)," Aquino said in a text message to GMANews.TV. Lawmakers have earlier criticized the plan of the Aquino government to furnish the Chinese government with a copy of the report first before disclosing it to the Filipino public. Malacañang has yet to disclose the contents of the report to the public as of posting time. None of Aquino's spokesmen have revealed the date and time of the report's disclosure to the public. Aquino is set to fly to the United States on late Monday night for his week-long working visit where he will attend various business conferences and the United Nations summit on the millennium development goals. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang, however, assured the public that the report would be released to the Filipino public before the Chinese government discloses it to its constituents. "According to the President, the results of the report would be released domestically, before it is released by the Chinese government to its public, if it decides to release it. China will make a disclosure to its public, pero mauuna tayo," Carandang said. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, chairperson of the IIRC, earlier said 12 government and police officials and media practitioners will be held liable for the mishandling of the August 23 hostage crisis. On August 23, a dismissed senior police inspector, Rolando Mendoza, hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. He was demanding for his reinstatement and the dismissal of a pending case against him in the Office of the Ombudsman. However, at the end of an 11-hour standoff, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. The Aquino government's handling of the hostage crisis drew criticism locally and internationally, as analysts and observers pointed out that the police appeared to lacked the skills and equipment to respond properly to the situation. The media's live coverage of the hostage crisis has also been widely criticized. — VVP, RSJ, GMANews.TV