Following the failed Manila Hostage rescue incident, we see with great disappointment and frustration at how everyone who was involved in the incident are now washing their hands of responsibility. Our generals, politicians, and officials are all in a STATE OF DENIAL as to who should take the blame.
Who really is to blame for this fiasco?
We recall in early 1994 a similar failed rescue incident. Kidnappers had just snatched their victim and were reported to be travelling North from Batangas City. A blocking operation was set-up by the PNP detachment in Lipa City. However instead of freeing the kidnap victims, the PNP detachment officers fired a fusillade of automatic gunfire at the kidnappers’ vehicle killing all the kidnappers, the hostages, and a few other travelers.
In reaction to the incident, President Fidel Ramos, himself a former Chief PC-INP General immediately fired then CHief PNP Gen Recaredo Sarmiento. The President also relieved the Commander of Lipa City and suspended all who were involved pending investigation on what had happened and how it went wrong. It is clear that President Ramos, a military man, understood well the principle of COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY.
Police, like soldiers, are members of a quasi-military organization. Like any military organization the police and soldiers act only upon orders of their superior officers. Thus the enlisted men and lower echelon officers really do not act upon their own, but rather they follow orders which originate from above through their chain of command. This is in contrast to a private corporation or organization, wherein the lower employees enjoy a certain degree of autonomy and freedom in their actions.
Consequently, we can fully appreciate the issue of command responsibility in situations like the Manila Hostage incident. The rank and file police who assaulted the bus full of hostages were doing so under orders from their commanders. These enlisted men certainly received orders as to when, how, and where to assault the bus. The decision was not theirs. They may have been incompetent, but the true incompetency lies in their commanders who ordered the assault knowing that their people were not the “right” people for the job, i.e. a trained counter-terrorist unit. Worse, the upper echelon Generals up to the Chief PNP knew very well the situation and were monitoring and supervising it from the beginning, and in spite of the danger and risks involved, they gave the green light for the “hasty assault.” It was a “hasty assault” because by definition it was an ill-prepared assault.
This is clearly an act of CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE resulting in homicide. The ground commander, Gen. Santiago as well as the Chief PNP Gen Jesus Verzosa should not only resign, they should be criminally charged.
I agree, ultimately, as the chief pnp, P/Dir. Gen. Versoza should take full responsibility for the hostage rescue debacle. There is simply no way he can pass the blame to his subordinates, that is such a cowardly and despicable act. If he has the slightest sense of decency, he should immediately tender in his irrevocable resignation out of delicadeza; that is the honorable thing to do, the noble thing to do, THE ONLY THING TO DO. If he submitted his resignation, that would be a magnanimous gesture on his part, it will not undo what has been done, but at least, it will be the first step towards the healing process.
I thought we would finally learn our lesson from the great tragedy that happened. I thought that things would finally change and that the government would hold those TRULY responsible accountable for what transpired. Capt. Mendoza took the bus hostage because he claims that he was dealt a bad hand and was unjustly treated. Now, after the pnp’s collosal blunder in staging a botched hostage rescue, what do they do, they again try to find escape goats to blame for the incident. Again, you see low ranking police officers taking the hit for the top brass. Although, these fine officers were ill-equipped and obviously lacked the necessary training to stage a hostage rescue of this kind, it does not negate the fact that they bravely put themselves in harms way and tried the best they could to resolve the situation given the circumstance. For God’s sake, at least they were there, where the hell was Gen. Versoza all the while? He was f#$%ing nowhere to be found, he should have taken personal command of the situation specially when it was already turning into an international incident. Now, these low ranking police officers have been relieved and suspended, like Capt. Mendoza’s outcry, they are also being dealt a band hand, the very reason why Capt. Mendoza snapped and took the bus hostage. I have no symphaty for Capt. Mendoza, what he did was wrong, plain and simple, but it does bring up an important subject matter that needs to be addressed and that is the habitual policy and culture of the pnp top brass to blame subordinates for thier own personal incompetence and shortcomings just to cover their collective a$$e$. This type of attiude and behavior must stop and the only way to do that is to spare no one; NOT EVEN A FOUR STAR GENERAL. Let those responsible, no matter how high in rank, fall on their sword. We have to start instilling the culture of delicadeza within the PNP.
After the Aquino-Galman murders in August 21 1983, at least then AFP Chief of Staff Gen Fabian Ver took the rap under the principle of command responsibility. His acquittal is a different story, though.
The WORST THING that our government can do right now, in the wake of this bungled hostage rescue fiasco is to sweep everything under the rug and whitewash the whole incident. IMHO the request of the foreign (HK) observers should be granted. What are we trying to hide anyway? Let everything come out and let the axe fall where it may!
It has been quite some time since the incident and our government has not yet taken any concrete steps to conduct its investigation. Justice delayed is justice denied to the victims. The incident was publicly broadcasted throughout the world. Commentaries about the incident are all over Youtube and other forums already. So what’s taking so long to move and finish up?
And how come the head honcho CHief Jesus Verzosa of the PNP is MUTE regarding all this? His silence is deafening….