President Aquino: Regrets, but no apology

President Aquino on Tuesday expressed deep regrets for the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists in the botched hostage rescue drama at the Rizal Park exactly a year ago Tuesday, but rejected calls from the families of the victims for a formal apology.

“Apology connotes that the state did them grievous harm, I don’t think that’s correct,’’ he said in response to one of three demands made by a group of survivors and families of the eight who died, who were here to commemorate the first anniversary of the tragedy.

‘Deranged gunman’

He said the tragedy was the “act of one man” who should be blamed and not the government, comparing the incident to last month’s attack by “deranged gunman” who killed 77 people in Norway.

On Aug. 23, 2010, Rolando Mendoza, a police officer who was dismissed on corruption allegations, seized a tour bus of Hong Kong tourists in a bid to be reinstated. Police stormed the vehicle and shot Mendoza dead, but eight hostages also died during the rescue attempt.

Malacañang ordered an investigation, but watered down the recommendations of the investigation panel, ordering only minor punishments to four policemen and absolving senior officials accused of incompetence and negligence.

Mr. Aquino said he understood the “hurt’’ felt by the survivors and families of the victims but also asked for their understanding because the Philippine government has made improvements and continues to do so.

2 demands met

He said that apart from the demand for an apology from him, his government had already met the two other demands—for reasonable compensation and justice for those who died.

He said it was just a question of how the families and the survivors defined these accomplishments.

“We sympathize and we continue to sympathize with them. We really wish it did not happen,’’ Mr. Aquino said.

“Can we really be faulted that…there was such a rapid turn of events that I don’t think any force in the world (could have prevented)?’’ he said.

Interior Secretary Jesse M. Robredo said that the country has shown not only through words that it was saddened by what happened.

Robredo, who attended a commemorative Mass on Tuesday at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame, cited the improvements at the PNP like the establishment of a Crisis Action Force, an elite unit tasked to respond to crisis situations involving foreign nationals.

“We have filled in the weaknesses and the gaps. We trained, we reorganized, we equipped and we are continuing equipping and organizing our people,” said PNP Director General Raul M. Bacalzo.

Requests, not demands

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said she would submit next week a recommendation to Mr. Aquino concerning the demands of the Hong Kong group that met with her on Monday night.

De Lima clarified that the group only made “requests,” and not demands as the media reported.

The group has asked for compensation, a personal apology from Mr. Aquino and for a reversal of Mr. Aquino’s decision not to file criminal complaints against several senior officials involved.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said it would ask the government to accede to the request of the survivors and victims’ families.

“We will be your ally here in Manila… In behalf of the Filipino people, we offer our apology,” VACC founding chair Dante Jimenez told the Hong Kong group at the ceremony of remembrance on Tuesday. With Marlon Ramos and Jeannette I. Andrade