MANILA, Philippines ? Interior and Local Government undersecretary Rico Puno on Friday said that the government's crisis management committee treated the botched August 23 hostage incident as a local instead of a national crisis despite the fact that majority of the hostages were foreign nationals.

?The treatment was... it happened it Manila. That's one. And also the hostage-taker was a former police officer assigned in Manila. That was the consideration,? Puno told the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) tasked to look into the bungled hostage rescue.

Puno's revelation came after IIRC member, lawyer Roan Libarios, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, grilled him on the magnitude of the situation that had dragged for nine hours before the hostage-taker, dismissed police officer Rolando Mendoza, and eight hostages, all Chinese nationals, were killed during the botched rescue attempt.

?How significant to you was the element of [having] foreign nationals as hostages?? Libarios asked Puno.

?It was very significant but again I reiterate that in their (local crisis committee members?) personal assessment, the hostage [incident] took place in Manila and the hostage-taker, a former Manila policeman, was very cooperative,? Puno replied.

?At no point in time from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. did it ever occur to you to consider the crisis within the dimension of the national crisis committee?? Libarios asked.

?No, sir,? Puno answered.

Puno's boss, Interior and Local Department Secretary Jesse Robredo, is the vice chairman of the IIRC.

It was revealed at the hearing that Puno was the caretaker of the national crisis management committee of the Aquino administration.

The local crisis committee was headed by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, IIRC chairman, was baffled over the local treatment of the situation.

?The mindset was this was a local incident... was there any dissenting opinion by anyone, whether by the members themselves of the local management committee or your group, the national crisis committee, which was on standby?? De Lima said.

?Our assessment was that he was a very cooperative hostage-taker, releasing eight or nine hostages,? Puno said.

The IIRC committee took note of the local crisis committee?s decision to transfer its operation at the Emerald Restaurant in Roxas Boulevard, which Puno said was Lim?s decision.

He added that he did not go to the command center near the area where the hostages were being held so as not to break protocol.