MANILA -- Seven Chinese nationals held captive by a disgruntled ex-policeman died when a 12-hour hostage drama aboard a tourist bus in the Philippines capital ended in bloodshed Monday evening.
The hostage-taker, former police officer Rolando Mendoza, also died of a gunshot wound to the head, police said.
Police said they stormed the bus after they saw Mendoza open fire on the hostages, mostly Chinese nationals from Hong Kong.
Moments before the commandos moved in, the Filipino driver fled. Police officer Roderick Mariano cited him as saying Mendoza had opened fire at the tourists.
At least six captives survived, four of them were seen crawling out the back door of the bus after police stormed it Monday evening when the hostage-taker started shooting at the 15 Chinese tourists inside, said police Senior Superintendent Nelson Yabut.
Philippine National Red Cross secretary general Gwendolyn Pang said five hostages were brought to the Ospital ng Maynila, two of them were declared dead on arrival and three were alive without injuries.
The Manila Doctors Hospital reported it received four dead and one woman in critical condition.
Another casualty was brought by the police to an unknown medical facility in the metropolis, she added.
The brief exchange of gunfire brought the suspect at the door of the bus as Special Weapons and Tactics operatives attacked from the back of the bus.
"Its part of the tactical operation to push the suspect on the front of the bus so our sniper could get a clean shot," said Manila Police District Chief Rodolfo Magtibay in a telephone interview with Sun.Star.
Yabut said the hostage-taker was killed with a sniper shot to the head after he wounded a police sharpshooter.
Despondent Mendoza held hostage 25 passengers of a tourist bus at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
Armed with an M-16 rifle and clad in his police uniform, the suspect held the blue-and-white Hong Thai travel bus around 10:15 a.m. on its way to Manila Ocean Park.
Mendoza was able to board the bus when he told the driver that he would just hitch a ride from Fort Santiago in Intramuros. Police said he then "declared he is taking the passengers hostage" when the bus reached Jose Rizal Park alongside Manila Bay.
Mendoza released nine hostages during the afternoon — leaving 15 inside. Those freed included two women, three children, a diabetic man and three Filipinos — including a tour guide and a photographer, police said.
A Chinese diplomat had appealed for restraint on the part of the Philippine authorities and not to jeopardize the hostages' safety.
Bai Tian, deputy mission chief at the Chinese Embassy who was monitoring the negotiations, said the hostages were "calm and peaceful." Speaking to reporters in the afternoon, he said they wanted every step taken "to secure the safety and security of our Chinese nationals."
Despite hopes that negotiations might bring the stand-off to a peaceful conclusion, tensions escalated as night closed in.
Chief Inspector Erwin Margarejo, Manila Police District spokesman, said Mendoza was initially demanding his full reinstatement as policeman, as well as the payment of his benefits and back salaries from the time he was dismissed from service.
According to newspaper reports from 2008, Mendoza was among the five officers who had been charged with robbery, extortion and grave threats after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money.
Mendoza said the Ombudsman has yet to act on his motion for reconsideration in the administrative case filed against him for alleged extortion.
Apart from demanding his reinstatement, Mendoza had also wanted to talk to the Philippine media and asked that his son — also a policeman — be brought to him. He scribbled some of his demands on paper and plastered it on the bus windows and windshields.
Arrests
While negotiations were ongoing Monday night, the Manila Police District arrested three persons, including a brother of the suspect, Senior Police Officer 4 Gregorio Mendoza, who was detailed at the Manila Police District Traffic Bureau.
According to Gregorio, he just wanted to come closer to the bus and try his luck in asking his brother to surrender to authorities.
He said his brother felt that "injustice was done on him" when he had been fired from his job.
"He was disappointed that he did well in police service but was dismissed for a crime he did not do," he said.
He likewise defended his brother against allegations of extortion which was the cause of filing administrative charges against him before the Ombudsman.
At the grandstand premises, Mendoza’s wife Aurora and another brother, Florencio, arrived but they were prevented from getting close.
Past 7 p.m., a police sniper blasted the front tires of the bus as law enforcers continue to move amid heavy downpour.
Bus driver, Alberto Lubang, was allowed to step out from the vehicle, signaling the police operatives to close in.
As soon as he came out of the bus, Lubang claimed that all of the hostages inside the bus were already dead.
According to Red Cross worker Zenaida Beltajar, Lubang said he saw Mendoza having two hand grenades, and that he was apparently freed because he was a Filipino.
A bystander was also hit in his right thigh during the ensuing firefight between the authorities and the suspect.
Decorated officer
Mendoza was a highly decorated police officer who was just months away from his mandatory retirement from the police service. He is set to retire on January 10, 2011.
He had even received a commendation for excellent job performance.
Mendoza was also one of the Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines of the Jaycees International in 1986.
A graduate of the Philippine College of Criminology, the 55-year-old Mendoza entered the law enforcement service through the Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police in 1981. (Glaiza Jarloc/Jill Beltran/Virgil Lopez/JCV/AP/Sunnex)