HOSTAGE FIASCO: WHAT WENT WRONG?

We deserve the government we choose.....!

Lack of funds, lack of equipment, lack of training, lack of coordination, lack of an “elite strike force”, lack of etc…. were the reasons why the hostage taking drama ended into a tragedy.

These are not acceptable reasons in any failed operation, military, police or otherwise. Especially when the situation involves foreign national, that any which way it ends will surely have an international repercussion.

And now, its finger pointing, investigations here and there and senate inquiry in aid of legislation (pogi points?). What we are doing now is showing our dirty linens to the international community!

I am thinking aloud and wonder, with all the president’s men around him, nobody was able to advice him to exhaust all peaceful efforts!

I believe the situation should not be left to the ground commander alone. More so, this type of hostage crisis should not be put in the hands of an “elite strike force” because these guys are trained in the use of guns to achieve their objectives.  And more often than not, collateral damages cannot be avoided when these forces are used in rescue operations.

Besides, the situation does not involved hard core terrorists whose lives are ruled by the barrel of the guns that would justify the use of an “elite strike force.”

Hence the situation should not be left in the hands of the ground commander, who only thinks of guns as tools or politicians who want to earn pogi points.

How about negotiation without the use of guns?

What we forget is the use of logic in saving the lives of the hostages.

Considering, the situation involves a LONE hostage taker who demands justice to the perceived injustices done to him.

A scenario; where a determined LONE hostage taker is ready to die if his demands are not met. A scenario involving hostages of foreign nationalities hence, any which way it ends, will have an international repercussion.

The crucial objective should be to save the lives of the hostages and possibly the hostage taker at all costs because of the international repercussion it would bring any which way the crisis ends.

I believe, what we lack during the tragic incident is decisive leadership with logical mind set that should be on top of the situation.

The crisis management committee should have been headed by at least Secretary-level-of-authority, if not the President himself.

I do not claim to be an expert, but ideally the situation calls for a crisis management committee headed by the Secretary of Justice, or the National Defense, or the DLIG or the President himself who could give the negotiator the broad scope of negotiating authority and give his negotiator what he needs.

The President, or the Secretary of Justice, or DND, or DILG is the person who have the authority to ask or to FORCE the Ombudsman to reverse its decision, and reinstate Mendoza.  And after his surrender, the DOJ could file illegal detention case against him and other violations that could be thought of that would put him in jail for a long time.

This way, the gunfight will be shifted into legal issues (interpretation of laws and NOT EXCHANGE OF BULLETS) and the battle and confrontation will be transferred in the court of justice.

Ergo, we wash our dirty linens in the privacy of our court of justice.

Most of all, this would surely save the lives of the hostages and Mendoza.

And the Philippines will save face in the eyes of the international community.

Clearly, what went wrong in the Quirino Grandstand fiasco is the lack of a decisive, logical leader who should be on top of the situation with one primary objective: to save the lives of the hostages and avert the ridicules of the international community. A leader whose tools include logic, diplomatic tact and who would exhausts all peaceful efforts of negotiation before resorting to SWAT operation.

Nevertheless, the Quirino Grandstand fiasco is not the fault of Mendoza, neither the police nor the President, IT IS OUR FAULT!

We are the ones who elected the leaders we want to govern us.

And we deserve the government that we choose....