MANILA, Philippines?The "what ifs" and the "what could haves" on how authorities responded to the hostage taking of Hong Kong tourists last August 23 were highlighted Thursday, as the elite police unit expected to respond to that situation showed off their caliber.

President Benigno Aquino III himself said he wants to know why the elite Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police was not utilized during the hostage drama, where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.

Aquino himself witnessed the adeptness of the SAF men as they presented three possible options in dealing with a hostage-taking situation involving a bus?similar to the August 23 incident where a bus-load of tourists were seized by disgruntled former policeman Rolando Mendoza.

The SAF men were complete in their uniform and equipment: sub-machine guns, bulletproof vests, helmets, and gas masks. A tactical commander was also giving orders to his personnel, always repeating the words: "This is the commander. I am in control of the situation."

In the same scenario involving a bus-load of passengers being held hostage, the SAF unit presented three possible options in their assault.

The first option involves the use of charges to break the bus windows and entering the bus. The second option involves using explosives to blast through the bus door for the assault team to gain access inside.

The third option involved the use of a V150 that rammed into the bus, providing a diversionary tactic to the hostage taker so the assault team could enter through the bus window.

An explosive and ordnance division team was also readily on standby, as well as K-9 units.

National Capital Region Police Office Director Leocadio Santiago, also a former SAF commander, said all of the equipment shown at the demonstration exercise were readily available during the time of the hostage incident, including the charges used to break the bus windows.

During the hostage incident, Special Weapons and Tactics personnel were caught on camera having difficulty breaking open the bus windows.

Asked why the charges were not used to break the glass on the actual hostage incident, Santiago declined to comment due to the ongoing probe.

Aquino was pleased with what he saw, saying, "This is what I was expecting."

"You can see how fit they were and how organized they were," he told reporters at the SAF headquarters in Taguig City.

But he said he wanted to know why the SAF personnel were not used to rescue the hostages.

Aquino said he was given three reasons why SAF men were not used, but declined to elaborate pending the results of the IIRC.