Hostage-taker’s brother says he’s innocent

MANILA, Philippines—Senior Police Officer 2 Gregorio Mendoza on Wednesday maintained that he could not be held criminally liable for last year’s hostage-taking at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, which left eight Hong Kong tourists and his brother, former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, dead.

At the same time, Gregorio refused to enter a plea when he was arraigned on the charge of being an accessory to serious illegal detention at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 14.

This prompted Judge Albert J. Tenorio Jr. to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The case, filed by the Department of Justice based on complaints from the Manila Police District (MPD) pointed to Rolando as the principal respondent in the hostage-taking of a busload of Hong Kong tourists on Aug. 23, 2010.

In an interview after the arraignment, Gregorio said he opted not to enter a plea upon the advice of his lawyer, Mayo Domingo Ramos. “We maintain that there is no probable cause to hold criminal proceedings against me,” Gregorio said in Filipino.

“First, they filed charges against a dead person then they tagged me as his accomplice. I did not do anything [that would make me] an accessory to the crime,” he told the Inquirer.

“Those who were in authority like Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim [should be held liable instead],” he added. He also criticized the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) for issuing reports even if its members had “no personal knowledge” of the hostage-taking.

The IIRC was tasked to review the incident and submit its recommendations on the actions to be taken against participants.

Chief Insp. Romeo Salvador, deputy chief of the MPD Legal Office, meanwhile, stood firm that when Gregorio was brought in to help with hostage negotiations, he did things that alerted the hostage-taker, Rolando, to what was happening outside the bus.

“[Gregorio] was calling [his brother] and describing what was happening outside,” Salvador said.

Department of Justice Assistant State Prosecutor Vimar M. Barcellano, in a resolution referring the MPD complaint to the Manila court, said Gregorio “caused the negotiations to collapse” when he caused a scene, which was aired live on television. It enraged his brother who started shooting the hostages.

Rolando had taken the tourists captive to protest his dismissal from the service due to extortion allegations.