Manila police chief offers leave of absence
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Under fire for mishandling Monday's hostage crisis, Rodolfo Magtibay, the head of Manila's police district, on Wednesday has requested to temporarily leave his post to pave the way for investigation over the incident.
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The offer was made during a closed door meeting with the top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Camp Crame, Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz told reporters. Magtibay was the ground commander during the hostage-taking incident.
Aside from Magtibay, four members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team were relieved from their posts.
The four policemen were leaders of a 200-strong SWAT team that attempted to end a day-long hostage drama on Monday that began when Roland Mendoza, an ex-policeman hijacked a busload of Hong Kong tourists, local media Philippine Daily Inquirer said.
"Pending the results of the investigation, they have been administratively relieved from their positions," Cruz told reporters.
There would be an examination of the bullets that were found at the scene of the bloodbath at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila where eight tourists from Hong Kong were killed in a hostage crisis, Inquirer said.
The PNP and the Philippine government have admitted that there were "defects" in the handling of the hostage crisis on Monday. Inquirer said police were conducting an inquiry into the events and that the four had been suspended to ensure they "did not exert undue influence on the investigation."
The 200 members of the SWAT had also been ordered to turn over their weapons for ballistics tests.
The Philippine Senate has said that it will conduct an investigation over how the police forces have handled the situation.
The eleven-hour long hostage-taking incident in the Philippine capital ended with eight tourists from Hong Kong dead. The hostage taker Mendoza was also killed during the crossfire with the police forces.
Mendoza who was dismissed from service for extortion seized the tourist bus early Monday morning and demanded to be reinstated to his former post. Of the 25 people onboard the bus when the hijacking occurred, 13 of the Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos survived. Nine of the survivors had been freed by Mendoza hours before the gunfire began.
As of Wednesday morning, the bodies of the eight victims have already been transferred to funeral homes in Manila, Philippines' capital and are scheduled to be flown back to Hong Kong on Wednesday.
The Philippine government has also declared Aug. 25 a national day of mourning for the hostage victims.
As of Wednesday morning, the bodies of the eight victims have already been transferred to funeral homes in Manila, Philippines' capital and are scheduled to be flown back to Hong Kong later in the afternoon.
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