Bus driver recounts horror

MANILA -- The driver of the hijacked tourist bus told a public inquiry Tuesday that the gunman started shooting at the hostages after seeing on television his brother being arrested by the police.

Alberto Lubang told the government panel investigating the botched attempt to rescue the hostages that hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza saw the live coverage of the day-long standoff through the television installed in the bus.

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He said Mendoza was furious after seeing his brother, Senior Police Officer 2 Gregorio Mendoza, being handcuffed and forcibly taken on a police car.

“I heard the first shot and then I saw a hostage cuffed to the stairwell fall down,” Lubang said. Seconds later, Lubang said Mendoza sprayed bullets to Chinese tourists seated at the rear portion of the bus.

"He is firing at the hostages one-by-one, at close range," Lubang said, while demonstrating how Mendoza carried out the killings.

He said he saw the horrific scenes unfold at the back of the bus through the rear-view mirror. He said he only heard a series of gunshots.

"I haven't heard anyone who cried or shouted. I haven't seen any of the hostages trying to overpower or subdue him (Mendoza)," he said.

Lubang said he escaped through a small window near the driver seat after he managed to unpick the handcuffs using a nail file attached to a nail cutter.

Police commandos immediately attempted to storm the bus after Lubang, who ran towards the direction of television cameras, shouted that all the hostages were already dead.

Justice Leila De Lima, who heads the inter-agency Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) was baffled over the inconsistencies with regard to the exact timeline of the incident.

Lubang said they left Fort Santiago around 9:45 a.m. to proceed to the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City but police said Dragon Base of Manila Police District received a call regarding the incident at 9:07 a.m.

Lubang, however, found allies in Lourdes Amansec, assistant general manager of Directions Travel agency and tourist guide Diana Chan, who said they left Fort Santiago at 9:45 a.m. after an hour of sightseeing.

Directions Travel is the partner agency of Hong Thai Travel in the Philippines.

He added that he only noticed the presence of the police at around 11 a.m. which coincided with the release of a woman hostage.

The bus driver also denied speculations that he and Chan agreed on their statements, saying they have not seen each other after the bloody incident at Quirino Grandstand.

Media questioning

Meanwhile, the IIRC also subjected two journalists to questioning before proceeding to the hostage scene for an ocular inspection.

The journalists include Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) anchor Michael Rogas and spokesman Jake Maderazo with former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. as counsel for RMN.

Maderazo and Rogas recounted the station's participation in the 12-hour standoff, which drew flak from the international community.

Filipino-Chinese community representative Teresita Ang-See of the Citizens Action Against Crime and Corruption said RMN, the radio station that conducted an interview with Mendoza, blew the chance of finding a smooth ending to the crisis.

"You should have used the line to appeal for the safety of the hostages. We all know that there's a time that the hostage-taker was still open to a peaceful resolution, and none of you even begged him. You could have done your humane duty," she said.

But Rogas and Maderazo quickly retorted, saying their duty was to inform and not to meddle in police operations.

"We only want to know what's happening inside the bus. Media should not speculate. If the government believed that we erred then we are ready to face any charges," Maderazo told Sun.Star.

The radio station was criticized for triggering the hostage-taker's anger and blocking the police's line of communication with Mendoza.

Audio recording of RMN's interview with Mendoza was aired as Maderazo related that it was interrupted six times during their three-and-a-half hour coverage of the hostage crisis.

"Overall, the six interruptions totaled 44 minutes," he said.

On the other hand, the public hearing will resume Wednesday, with the woman who drove Mendoza to Fort Santiago set to testify before the committee.

"Rose" told reporters Tuesday that she is unaware of Mendoza's plan as she only conceded to his request to be brought to Manila so he could return his firearms.

Aside from Rose, GMA-7 reporter Susan Enriquez was also invited to shed light on the incident. It can be remembered that Enriquez was able to interview Mendoza's brother while he was being escorted by policemen to a mobile patrol car.

The committee also said the results in autopsy and ballistics test will be presented in Wednesday's hearing before moving to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City for a reenactment of the incident.

Probers in Hong Kong

In a related development, Secretary De Lima said the joint Philippine-Hong Kong investigation progressed with two more survivors agreeing to give statements pertaining to the incident.

On Monday, a team of investigators, led by Assistant State Prosecutor Cielito Celi, was sent to Hong Kong to get the sworn testimonies of two survivors.

A separate team from the PNP was also sent to retrieve three of the eight cellular phones that were earlier turned-over to Hong Kong authorities and to evaluate certain ballistic examination reports.

De Lima said ballistic examination will be done in Hong Kong, which has more sophisticated equipment, in order for the Philippine investigators to determine the results in just three days. (Virgil Lopez/JCV/Sunnex)