Pointing Finger on the Luneta Carnage

MAYOR LIM WAS ON TOP AND FOLLOWED PROTOCOLS
HE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE BASICS ON HOW TO
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND STOP BLAMING OTHERS

Lim supervised the crisis management committee and “followed" all protocols in handling the hostage incident at the local level.
“Mayor Lim was on top of the situation as the head of the crisis management committee," statement released to the media on Friday.

The Manila mayor has sufficient knowledge on crisis situations like the hostage-taking incident four days ago, having served as a police officer and as a Cabinet member.

“He Lim possesses relevant experience as former chief of the Manila Police District, former National Bureau of Investigation director and even a former DILG Secretary”.

On August 23, dismissed Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza hijacked a bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. After an 11-hour hostage drama at the Quirino grandstand in Manila’s historic Rizal Park, nine people died — eight tourists and their armed captor. (See: Hostage crisis ends in bloody carnage; 8 hostages dead)

Former MPD head Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, who was ground commander during the incident, told a Senate hearing on Thursday that it was the Manila mayor who ordered the arrest of SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, brother of the hostage-taker.

The arrest reportedly agitated the hostage-taker and prompted him to start gunning down the victims. Lim has denied the allegation, saying he only ordered SPO2 Mendoza to be handcuffed, and not arrested.

This page requires a higher version browser “Ako nag-utos na posasan to restrain his movements. May mga pulis doon na may mga baril. Eh kung mang-agaw ng baril ‘yun SPO2 Mendoza?" he said in a television interview.


(I was the one who ordered that he be handcuffed, to restrain his movements. There were policemen there with their firearms. What if he grabbed a gun?)

It turned out the Mendoza brother could not handcuffed because the policemen with him reportedly did not have handcuffs, so he was merely ordered to stay put, according to a QTV news reporter who interviewed Lim.

“Ihahandcuff sana, pero sabi ko ‘wag na ihandcuff. Dalhin na lang ninyo sa headquarters for investigation," the mayor added emphatically.

MAYOR LIM SHOULD LEARN HOW TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Teaching children how to take personal responsibility for themselves and their actions is a key part of most elementary and middle school curriculums. We teach our kids the importance of making the right choices when it comes to drugs and alcohol, tending to their studies and behaving in class. We teach them to take responsibility for their choices, and to make them carefully in their life ahead.

As an adult, though, it seems Mayor Lim forgot the lessons he learned as a child--- that he makes choices and the choices have consequences, which, more often than not, as an adult he’s responsible for taking personal responsibility. It’s not only an adult thing to do; it's the right thing to do.

Mayor Lim is well known for his track record of being a violator of human rights. Lim once said in a television interview, “ human rights kayo ng human rights eh yung mga human wrong”.

Sincerely,

Fernando Bancod, CFM
Chandler, AZ