Hostage survivor blames Lim for mishandling Aug 23 tragedy

A Hong Kong survivor was outraged at the report of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) and blamed Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for allegedly mishandling the August 23 hostage tragedy. "Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim should take responsibility for this incident in which eight people were killed - he was supposed to be the leader in dealing with this crisis," said survivor Li Yick-biu in a report of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Tuesday.

The IIRC report stated that Lim, who was appointed head of the crisis management committee at 1:00 p.m., arrived at the scene at 5:00 p.m., then left for a restaurant at 6.45 p.m. for a meal. "The tragedy reflects the serious corruption in the Philippines, in government and police," Li was quoted as saying in the SCMP report. A Chinese lawmaker and former chairman of the Bar Association, Ronny Tong Ka-wah, also said Lim should be condemned for not arriving at the scene immediately. Lim respects comments Asked to comment on the statements of the survivor and the Hong Kong lawmaker, Lim said, "That's their opinion. I respect that. They are entitled to it."

 Lim however insisted that even if he was at the Emerald Restaurant at that time, he could still not be considered to be far away from the site.
 
Producing a map of Luneta from the city engineering office, Lim said the restaurant was just 500 meters away from the bus. "Kaya hindi nila pwedeng sabihin malayo kami (They can't say we were far from the crime site)," Lim said. Vice Mayor Francisco Domagoso (Isko Moreno), who sat silently beside Lim during the press conference, spoke to reporters after the event.

 "I would like to thank the mayor for owning up to the incident... But if he ever gets jailed for this, I will go with him to prison," Moreno said in Filipino. 

Moreno lamented why the blame was mostly put on local officials and not on national authorities. 

"Ano ba talaga habol nila (What are they really after), public perception and public persecution?" Moreno asked. He also scored the probing body for releasing the 82-page report "tsani-tsani" (in parts). IIRC report full of holes Li also criticized the IIRC report as "full of holes" because it did not explain whether the severe head injury suffered by survivor Jason Leung Song-xue was inflicted by the hostage-taker or police. "There are so many doubtful points in the report, especially how Jason was injured," survivor Li said. "Were his injuries caused by the handle of hostage-taker [Rolando] Mendoza's rifle or by the police sledgehammer?" Li also wondered why the accounts of the survivors— Lee Ying-chuen and Jason's mother, Amy Leung Ng Yau-woon — were not included in the IIRC report. Li also said it was an outrage that the government was blaming the media for the mishandling of the hostage crisis. "The media were just doing their job. They should not be made a scapegoat." IIRC's recommendations The IIRC, headed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, submitted its report to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on Friday. Aquino made public the IIRC report on Monday, hours before he left with a 55-member delegation for the United States. The delegation is expected to return on September 28. The IIRC investigated the hostage incident on August 23 when a dismissed Senior Inspector, Rolando Mendoza, hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. At the end of an 11-hour standoff, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. The IIRC recommended administrative or criminal sanctions against the following: * Undersecretary Rico Puno of the Department of Interior and Local Government; * Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez; * Former Philippine National Police Chief Director General Jesus Verzosa; * Former Manila Police District (MPD) Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay; * National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Leocadio Santiago; * Manila City Mayor Alfredo Lim and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno; * Negotiator, Superintendent Orlando Yebra; * Manila Police Special Weapons and Tactics Unit head Chief Inspector Santiago Pascual; * Erwin Tulfo and Michael Rogas, from Radyo Mo Nationwide Presidential legal counsel Eduardo de Mesa hinted that some persons could be dropped from the list while others who were not on the list could be included. Not complete or thorough Tong, who was disappointed with the IIRC report, said it was "clearly not complete or thorough, and will not help clear the doubts and worries of Hong Kong people." He claimed that the report did not correlate scientific evidence such as forensic findings with witnesses accounts. Tong pointed out that in some cases, survivors' recollections might not be totally reliable after such a traumatic experience. "Hong Kong people expect to find out the truth in the coming inquest to be held in Hong Kong, and will draw comparisons between the investigation reports by the Philippines and Hong Kong," he said. Hong Kong Police Chief Superintendent Kenneth Li Kin-fai of the public relations branch said the force will present an investigation report to the Coroner's Court as soon as possible. – with Mark Merueñas/VVP, GMANews.TV