Navotas hostage-taker gives up without a fight

It had all the elements of a movie in the making.

When Esmeraldo Yarcia III held at knife point an administrative officer of Navotas Polytechnic College Wednesday morning, he first demanded that he be given a glimpse of his favorite TV personalities, including ABS-CBN reporter Doland Castro and GMA 7 reporter Ian Cruz.

Yarci, a former student of the school, held Amy Perez (not the actress) inside the administration office of the college around 8 a.m., and had   posted a note on the window of a room in the building that read: “Don’t you dare me to kill my hostage please! Media!!! GMA 7 and ABS-CBN TV.”

The reporters refused, citing company policies prohibiting the media from interfering in police operations after the Manila hostage crisis in 2010.

Yarcia then told negotiators that seeing a TV camera would be enough for him to release Perez unharmed.

Superintendent Ferdinand del Rosario, public information officer of the Northern Police District, told reporters they would give in to the demand, but in the end, Del Rosario went back empty-handed.

Jeford Valdisimo, who said he was Yarcia’s ROTC batch mate, told police that before transferring to another school in 2009, Yarcia had slit his neck with a kitchen knife.

Valdisimo said that at the time, Yarcia and his batch mates were being “punished” by upper ROTC class men.

Police said that Yarcia, who had gone to the school to get his transcript of records, snapped when he saw the low grades he got in two subjects.

Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco, who was witness to the negotiations, told reporters later that Yarcia had other problems in another educational institution, which he refused to identify.

Around 1 p.m., an ambulance was seen leaving the premises, with Perez in it, according to Chief Inspector Bernabe Embile, chief of administration of the Navotas City Police.

He said the hostage had been released unharmed, but that she would undergo medical tests. Yarcia surrendered peacefully, Tiangco added.

Minutes later, another ambulance was seen leaving the area with Yarcia, who was later taken to the Navotas police headquarters where charges will be filed against him.

“I congratulate the crisis committee for a job well done. They planned everything every step of the way,” Tiangco said.