Govt to set up 'situation room' for future crises

After drawing criticism worldwide for its poor handling of the August 23 hostage situation, the government will now set up a situation room where officials can monitor and discuss how to tackle crises. In a press briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia is handling the details about the establishment of a situation room. "We are coming out with a situation room, where we’ll be able to monitor all the crises incidences that need to be monitored," Laciera said. "It will be operated on a regular basis. Kahit na wala (Even if there's no [crisis]), it will be monitoring all the events, situations in the country," he added. Lacierda said the government currently has a temporary situation room but refused to disclose its details without a clearance from Garcia. Lacierda also refused to divulge what will be in the permanent situation room, saying Garcia is in charge of it. The White House has a situation room that serves as the "nerve center of information" for the US president. According to a page on the White House's website, the situation room was created by the Kennedy Administration in 1961. It serves as a conference facility, a processing center for secure communications, intelligence gathering, and emergency operations. Aquino and officials under his administration drew flak for gathering at the Emerald Restaurant in Manila during the August 23 hostage crisis at the Quirino Grandstand wherein eight Chinese tourists from Hong Kong and the hostage taker, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza, were killed. Manila City Mayor Alfredo Lim, the head of the crisis management committee, said he and ground commander Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay went there because he was hungry. Aquino said he went to the restaurant that night because he was told that Lim and Magtibay, the people in charge of the situation, were at the restaurant. Magtibay and Lim were among the officials the Incident Investigation and Review Committee recommended for sanctioning because of their poor handling of the crisis. –VVP, GMANews.TV