Maybe I watch too many movies, too many CSI and other hi-tech western movies that somehow altered my reality – but then again, what happened last night was not too much about hi-tech gadgets, it was about tactics – which surely both the police and media lacked.
I hold no degree in crimefighting, or hostage taking analysis, I’m a normal person with just enough common sense. And these are the things I felt were wrong all throughout the 11 (or 12?) hours of the hostage taking.
The Police/SWAT:
- They were very lenient. The requests of the hostage taker were given even though it would compromise the security of the police and the hostages as well. Refueling the bus? Right there and then, Mendoza has got the police on his hands already.
- They were slow, they lacked planning and proper tactics. By night time, it was unclear to me what they really want – is it to save the hostages or spare the hostage taker? What were they afraid of? Seems to me that those people who were supposed to be taking care of our lives, those people who were supposed to protect our lives were too afraid for their own. I’m not saying they should have went there and risked their lives, I’m saying – again, they were very lenient and slow.
- By 7-8pm, that’s when gunshots were heard. The driver was able to escape from the bus and told the police that the hostage taker has gone completely crazy and fired random shots at the hostages. THAT- that was the only time that they decided they should break the glass and force entry? Why? All these time in their hands – what took them so long to decide? Again, what were they after? Safety of the hostages or the hostage-taker?
- And when they did decide to break glass, what did they use? Hammer? Even Mythbusters – a US TV series use a metal cutter for their experiments. But look at our police, they used hammer – maso, to break the glass. Concerned citizens were phoning media stations about the emergency button to open the door, but police still decided that it’s better to go old school. And the rope? Rope? Seriously? Wala man lang bang kadena? It was becoming funny already during their attempts, it was all too futile.
- Bob and I were saying all throughout, when the SWAT was around the bus,that if Mendoza wanted to fire at them, he would’ve done it already. Mendoza was at the vantage point – where he has full access to the news and could see the SWAT in clear view since he’s higher. But he didn’t – so it was either he was saving his ammo or he’s injured too.
- By 9pm, it was obvious that the SWAT members had already created enough holes in the bus. Wala bang mini-cam man lang so they can have a view of what happened inside? Okay, maybe spy cams are too “movie-like”, pero the way I see it, sobrang pwedeng humiram nalang ng camera kung saan and naginsert ng cam sa dami ng butas na yun, they could’ve seen what was inside already. I take it back, spy cams are not too movielike.
Media:
- It was way too obvious that both stations wanted ratings – they covered every inch of the hostage taking drama, that it led Mendoza advantageous and the police’s security compromised. Imagine, in GMA 7, the SWAT was making it’s way to the bus and Mike Enriquez was like, “Ayan mga kapuso, naglalakad na ang mga SWAT papuntang bus,” I could imagine Mendoza laughing his ass out. Useless nga yung pag duck nung mga SWAT eh. Eh kitang kita naman sila ni Mendoza from the TV. Kaloka lang.
- The hostages said that Mendoza only fired at the victims when he saw in TV that the police were after his brother. All the while, while the media was reporting it, the reporter was saying, “Pinangangambahang makita ni Mendoza ito dahil baka lalong magalit at magwala.” They were feeding ideas to Mendoza. Kahit di pa iniisip ni Mendoza yun, after hearing what the reporters were saying, nagplant na yung idea sa utak niya and that could be one of the reasons why he fired at the victims. Really, what’s the need to cover pati yung sa brother ni Mendoza? It only sparked his anger. That could’ve been avoided eh!
There are so many things na mali, both the police and media. And there they are, saying we should not point fingers as to whose fault it was. Really, should not point fingers? We should not point fingers on whose fault it is that there’s global warming, or overpopulation – because it’s everyone’s call, because everyone has a participation on it.
But this one – this is not the business of an ordinary person, this was way out of our hands. Only the police had full control of it – so it’s just normal and expected that they get all the blame and questions – they were the ones who clearly lacked tactics, and apparently, even common sense.

Maybe I am just outraged right now at the effect of this to the country. The whole world was watching at how we handled the situation – if “handled” was even the word. I am not saying that one’s life is more important than the others, but in this case – bloodshed was clearly avoidable.
It seems to me that despite Mendoza’s death, he was still able to keep his goal – to keep every hostage. Apparently, in this case – we are the hostages. We will be suffering from the aftereffect of this drama – the only good news to Mendoza is that he won’t be a part of it any more. He won’t be living through every travel ban, every criticism.
Hell will be waiting for him with open arms pa.
P.S.
Sige, anti-human rights na ko kung anti-human rights man ito, but when this picture was taken – with the beast right there, no bullet proof vests or whatever, apparently smiling for the camera pa –

Wala man lang bang sniper na pwedeng bumaril sa kanya? Sa legs? Sa hands? Just to render him down. I don’t understand why they didn’t do that when they had a chance – kung holdupan sa kanto, malamang sampung bala na ng baril yung pinatama sa holdupper. What were the police thinking? One life – an evil’s person’s life at that – against the 15-20 innocent victims of this crime. Now, tell me which is more important?
It’s just sad that these people died without knowing what they died for. I tuned in to news this morning and they were talking about investigations – but really, for what? There’s no more justice here. People died, lives were wasted because of one futile move of the police and media.