Bloody end to Philippines hostage drama
By the CNN Wire Staff
August 23, 2010 -- Updated 1444 GMT (2244 HKT)
Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- At least eight hostages held for 10 hours appear to have survived the hijacking of a tour bus in the heart of the Philippines capital Monday.
The hostage-taker, former police officer Rolando Mendoza, died of a gunshot wound to the head, and at least two hostages were killed, police said.
There were 15 hostages on the bus when police stormed it. Nine had been released earlier, including a mother and her three children, a man with diabetes, and two photographers, according to CNN's Anna Coren, who was there. Most of those on the bus were tourists.
Police boarded the gunman-controlled bus about 40 minutes after the driver left and claimed the hostage-taker had killed all those remaining on board, Coren reported. The police retreated immediately, possibly after firing a shot into the bus, pictures from the scene showed.
Earlier, a police assault team charged the bus, breaking the windows with an ax, Coren said.
Mendoza had sprayed machine gun fire at the hostages, a police spokesman told CNN. Manila's vice mayor, Isko Moreno, told CNN that Mendoza's brother had been arrested because he was "guilty of conspiring with his brother" and allegedly helped instigate the shooting.
Mendoza had threatened "more drastic measures" if police approached him, Manila police official Leocadio Santiago told CNN.
There were 25 people, including 22 foreigners, on the tourist bus when Mendoza boarded it with a gun, Manila District Police Chief Rodolfo Magtibay said.
Mendoza was demanding his job back, police told CNN. He wrote his demand on a board and displayed it in the bus windshield, the police official said.
Mendoza was wearing his uniform and carrying a rifle when he flagged down the tourist bus and asked for a ride, police spokesman Erwin Margarejo told reporters.
A tour guide for Hong Thai Travel tried to stop him from boarding the bus, the company's general manager told reporters.
"The gunman said he wanted to have a free lift. Then the tour guide stopped him," general manager Susanna Lau said. "Eventually, the gunman got on the coach and then asked the driver to lock the door."
Lau said the gunman did not threaten people on the bus.
The hostages were calm but confused, Margarejo said. Around 2 p.m. (2 a.m. ET), the Philippine news channel ANC showed images of signs posted on the bus windshield saying, "Big deal will start after 3 p.m. today" and "3 p.m. today dead lock."
But two hours later, there were no outward signs that the situation had changed.
Police cordoned off the area around the bus as they tried to negotiate, and sharpshooters were stationed nearby. Food was delivered to the hostages still on board.
ANC showed passengers peeking out from behind curtains of the parked bus and a sign posted on the bus door saying, "Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision."
Mendoza was dismissed a year ago for misconduct unbecoming a police officer, Margarejo said.
However, CNN affiliate ABS CBN said he was fired for extortion. The police have not confirmed the report.
Police and the Philippines Red Cross assessed the hostages who were freed, sending some back to their hotels and continuing to interview others, national Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang told CNN.
Lau said the company had informed family members of the hostages about the situation.
Santiago said earlier Mendoza's family members had been speaking with him as well.
"As an individual, his responses so far have been very reasonable and very psychologically stable," he said.
But that reasonability and stability devolved into the shooting later in the day.
"This is an incident where the person doesn't think of right thing," Moreno said. "I feel sad for the families of these victims. I hope there's more reports of survivors of this incident."
Hong Kong Secretary for Security Ambrose S.K. Lee told reporters that government officials were "very concerned" about the incident and had asked officials from the Chinese Embassy in Manila to help.
"We have contacted the Philippine Consulate-General in Hong Kong and we requested that they should ensure the safety of the hostages and we also requested that the incident be resolved in a peaceful manner," he said.
The Hong Kong government is arranging for a Cathay Pacific flight to fly hostages' families to Manila at midnight, Andy Ho, the spokesman for Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, said Monday. Ho said even if only one or two families are ready to go at midnight, they will proceed with the flight.
The deputy security minister, government officials from the security bureau, psychologists, doctors and police and immigration officials will be on board that flight.
Another flight is being prepared for the tourists' families, and is set to leave at 8 a.m. Tuesday from Hong Kong to Manila, Ho said.
Asked if tourists should have any concerns about travel to the Philippines after the hostage incident, Moreno said, "It could happen anywhere in the world."
CNN's Sarita Harilela and journalists Maria Ressa and Arlene Samson-Espiritu contributed to this report.
