MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Broadcasters who interviewed the hostage-taker who seized Hong Kong tourists inside a bus last August 23 that resulted in the death of eight should have made an appeal because there were human lives at stake, a member of the investigating body said Tuesday at the resumption of its inquiry into the carnage.

"You should have made an appeal [for the hostages]," anti-crime advocate Teresita Ang-See told Radyo Mindanao Network anchor and senior reporter Michael Rogas and Jake Maderazo.

A visibly upset Ang-See admonished the radio station for its supposed failure to observe its ?humane duty? to prevent the bloodbath.

She pointed out that none of the anchors of RMN who interviewed the hostage-taker, dismissed police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, bothered to plead for the lives of the Chinese hostages.

During the hostage crisis, it was RMN that managed to get a line to Mendoza. The station's coverage, authorities said, could have aggravated the situation.

?Didn?t you think of talking to him for the release of the hostages? Apparently you had the line but you did not even bother to make an appeal to free the hostages,? Ang-See said in a raised voice.

In reply, Rogas said he actually repeatedly asked Mendoza to stay calm and not to harm the Hong Kong tourists as they were trying to relay his demands to the officials of the Philippine National Police.

?We really wanted to know the condition of the hostages. We are not the negotiators,? Rogas stressed.

To which Ang-See replied, ?I know it?s not your role. I know that. But couldn?t have you done your humane duty to do something about it?? she asked.

At that time, she said the hostage-taker was still rational, saying even the chief police negotiator, Supt. Orlando Yebra, testified that the negotiation was still possible moments before Mendoza started his rampage.

?Your first duty was (to care) for human lives. That?s more important,? Ang-See said, adding:

?No profession should ever be more important than (to save) human lives and more important than to show what was happening inside (the bus).?

The Philippine broadcast media had been under siege for its treatment of the 11-hour hostage crisis, with some lawmakers proposing the enactment of a law barring live coverage of such life-threatening events.

Police officials involved in the negotiation said Mendoza suddenly snapped when he saw from the TV monitor inside the bus that his younger brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, was being arrested and bodily taken to a waiting police car.

Rogas and Maderazo aired their interview with Mendoza from 6 p.m. up to 7:55 p.m. before the shooting began.

Excerpts from the interview were:

* Mendoza talking to hostage negotiator Superintendent Orlando Yebra, explaining that the first shot he fired was a warning shot because Yebra lied about returning the gun of his brother, Senior Police 0fficer 2 Gregorio Mendoza.

*Mendoza giving a 5-minute deadline to release his brother but started to shoot after he saw on television that his brother was taken under police custody.

* Mendoza?s admission that he shot two of the hostages and threatened to kill the others if elements of the Special Weapons and Tactics who began to surround the bus were not pulled out.

The interview was cut several times but at around 6 p.m., Mendoza was talking on the radio, shouting and asking that his brother be released or he will shoot the hostages.

While the radio interview was being played, the observers from HongKong shed tears.

Maderazo told members of the panel to try and stay on board and that it was difficult to talk.

But Ang-See asked the two commentators if they did not see this as ?grandstanding.?

"If there was no media reporting and there were shots, who would tell the story?" Maderazo said.