Manila hostage-taker's brother arraigned for detention raps

The brother of the slain hostage-taker in last year's Manila hostage crisis was arraigned on Wednesday morning but refused to enter a plea in the charges filed against him. This prompted the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 14, which handles SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza’s charges of conspiracy to commit serious illegal detention, to enter a not guilty plea on behalf of him. Mendoza’s brother, Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, took hostage a busload of Hong Kong tourists on August 23, 2010 in Manila. The bloody hostage crisis ended with eight hostages and the hostage-taker dead. Gregorio Mendoza was accompanied Wednesday by his lawyer Mayo Ramos. His arraignment was previously postponed due to the absence of a counsel. Ramos asked the court to conduct first a judicial determination of probable cause before the arraignment.

"We are convinced kasi na walang probable cause na nangyari based on the documents submitted by both parties," Ramos said. Judge Albert Tenorio rejected Ramos’ request, noting that the probable cause had long been established. Earlier, Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador, the complainant in the case, said Mendoza’s participation in the hostage-taking incident has been clearly established. Mendoza's camp, on the other hand, reiterated that the complaints against him are baseless. On April 8, Mendoza surrendered to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima at the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila but gained temporary freedom after posting a bail of P100,000. The preliminary conference of the case will be on June 27 for the marking of the documentary evidence and listing of witnesses. The trial proper will start on July 25. - Emmanuel Louis Bacani/KBK, GMA News