Verzosa retires on Sept.

The Maryland Police Ground commander explains how they were able to rescue the hostages. Note the DIFFERENCE in decisiveness, tactics, and leadership.

Police block the street in front of the headquarters of the Discovery Channel networks building in Silver Spring, Md., Wednesday Sept. 1, 2010. Police say a gunman has taken at least one person hostage in the building. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

One issue that was raised in the recent Luneta Hostage incident was how come other SWAT teams and units were not allowed to participate in the rescue?

To those who are familiar with Philippine hostage rescue attempts in the last 10 years, the Quirino Grandstand Hostage incident should not have come as a surprise. Three previous well-publicized incidents clearly show the lack of capability of our military and police to execute a surgical hostage rescue operation.

Is There Really a Need for the Proposed Elite Strike Force?

by Jose Antonio Custodio 

[This is a guest article by a defense analyst]

Much have been said about the hostage taking incident and its unsuccessful rescue operations. Most of our senior officials have already apologized to Beijing or to the CEO of Hongkong SAR while, some of our countrymen have become overnight experts on the subject matter (specially the news anchors of a big tv network). Please, let us let go of it. Its time to move on and its time to think of our pride as Filipinos. Let us stop bashing the government and our police authorities. In the face of all of this, we should be united as a nation and tell the whole world that we support our government to whatever actions it has done and will be doing in the future with respect to the said tragedy.