Resorts World attack worsened by breakdown of communication – solon

JUNE 14, 2017
CCTV footage on the misencounter between police personnel and Resorts World Manila staff Bernard Cajigas (L) during the attack by gunman Jessie Javier Carlos at the RWM premises last June 2, 2017. Cajigas was shot by police responding to the site, contrary to his previous claim that he was shot by Carlos. A short part was shown to congressmen as requested by RWM officials during the second House inquiry into the Resorts World Manila incident last June 2, 2017 held in Congress.
INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

There was a breakdown of communication between the police and the Resorts World Manila management that further worsened the state of confusion at the height of the casino attack carried out by a lone gunman.

This was the observation of Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, chairperson of the games and amusements committee, after the investigation in aid of legislation conducted by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

In an ambush interview with reporters, Tambunting said the testimonies of both the police and Resorts World Manila management showed that both camps were pointing fingers precisely because of a breakdown of communication.

“Patunay na hindi sila nag-uusap at walang communication kaya nagkaroon ng misencounter,” Tambunting said.

Tambunting was referring to the supposed misencounter between the SWAT team and a Resorts World Manila security personnel, who was shot at by the SWAT team after a brief firefight.

READ: Solons shown footage of misencounter at Resorts World

A CCTV footage presented to the committee showed that Bernard Cajigas, Resorts World security manager who led the special reaction team, shot at the SWAT after Cajigas did not respond to the call of the team.

Cajigas was the first to fire at the SWAT team, lawmakers learned, which caused the team to fire back, grazing Cahigas before he fell down the stairs.

Cajigas was also seen wearing civilian clothes and slippers, adding to the confusion as to the identity of the gunman during that time, police has said.

Tambunting said the breakdown of communication was worsened by the fact that the CCTV surveillance rooms were not manned at the time of the attack.

The police have said of the three surveillance rooms, the surveillance rooms in Resorts World Manila and Maxim’s were not manned because the people were evacuated from there due to the buildup of smoke.

Only the surveillance room at Remington hotel was manned, lawmakers learned.

READ: Resorts World exec refutes PNP claim that CCTV rooms were abandoned 

“It’s really unfortunate. I have said in the beginning, this could have been avoided if the communication was better. There was a breakdown in the communication. The CCTV personnel was not there manning those cameras,” Tambunting said.

Tambunting also lamented the mistaken impression that there was more than one attacker, after the bag of ammunition that contained 300 rounds went off after the gunman left it to burn in a torched casino table.

Most of the victims died of suffocation because of fear to come out of hiding, lawmakers learned.

“Yung supot ng mga bala, nilagay sa isang gaming table. At hindi pa umandar yung sprinklers kaya nagputukan. Kung ikaw nasa labas, hindi mo nakikita ang nangyayari, iisipin mo maraming bumabaril. Nagkaroon ng barilan sa labas, not knowing isang bag ng bala yung sumasabog,” Tambunting said.

READ: Resorts World gunman tricked victims — casino official 

In an ambush interview with reporters, National Capital Region Police Office director Oscar Albayalde said misencounters happen in any operation, even during the Marawi City conflict perpetrated by the terror group Maute.

“In any operation, there are sometimes talaga misencounter. Even in Marawi, you can just imagine,” Albayalde said.

Albayalde also refuted Resorts World Manila chief operating officer Stephen James Reilly’s claim that the surveillance rooms were manned during the attack.

“Just to make things straight, very misleading ang sinabi ni Mr. Reilly na hindi nila iniwan CCTVs nila. Yung pangatlong CCTV room, hindi iniwan yeah that’s true yung Remington. Those two rooms sa Resorts World at sa Maxims were abandoned,” Albayalde said.

During the hearing, Reilly insisted that their CCTV surveillance rooms were manned, even as the police insisted that there were no personnel at the time.

“Many comments have been made that the surveillance rooms were abandoned. At no time did we have all three surveillance rooms unoccupied. As the video footage would show, we have active cameras moving on the assailant at all times,” Reilly said.

But the Pasay City police chief Sr. Supt. Dionisio Bartolome Jr. said as the police were pursuing the gunman Jessie Javier Carlos, they chanced upon a surveillance room which has no personnel inside.

The Resorts World personnel who guided the police was not able to pinpoint the locations in the video bundles there because he was only a perimeter guard, Bartolome said.

“We chanced upon a CCTV room, walang tao. Even the Resorts World guide, hindi niya masabi ano nakikita namin sa video bundle. When I asked why, he said he’s a perimeter guard. Even our guide can’t also tell us where the suspect was at the time,” Bartolome said.

Albayalde during the hearing said what Reilly was referring to was when Bartolome had already called for Resorts World to man one CCTV surveillance room at Remington.

“It was really abandoned. Nung dumating si Senior Supt. Bartolome, walang tao sa CCTV room. Nagpatawag ng personnel from Resorts World, that is what Mr. Reilly is now telling us,” Albayalde said.

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