My take on the Manila Bus Hijacking

One word: Outrageous

Crazy former police officer hijacks a tour bus, demanding his job back. What do you do in this situation? You try to calm the guy down and negotiate with him and give the guy what he wants, or at least make him believe that he’s getting what he wants. And while negotiating, SWAT team and professional policeman devise a plan on how to take him down and have snipers surround the bus. But NO, these so called “professionals” made this a local media thing and moved close to the bus, streaming it live on television. Who does that? The area should have been isolated, not have everyone 10 feet close to the bus and filming it like a movie. They should not have gotten the media involved, he could clearly see what’s being aired out from inside the bus. He knew what the police were doing before the police could respond and take action. That’s major FAIL on their part. It’s their fault for making it local.

Situation was not handled well; it was all in all bad judgment. This whole thing should have at most taken an hour, but instead it took 10 hours, more than enough time for them to negotiate and bring in trained professionals with the right equipment trying to end the stand off.

They didn’t even have bodysuits or shields and all they carried were flimsy looking rifles. What are they going to do with that? Go animal hunting? My goodness! The crazy dude had an automatic M-16 in his arm and the best they could do was rifles? Where are their M-16’s?

These so called policemen stays along side the bus while gunfire was going off inside. Philippines president tried to protect their dignity saying “they risk their lives!” I don’t see that as risking their lives. Risking their lives would be them rushing in immediately; forcing their way in through the door, through the window, through the back, but all they did was hide and only tried to break in through the front door of the bus. I don’t get it, this is WTF to me. They already knew negotiating wouldn’t work and was already in for the kill. Why did they not step in?

What happened to snipers? These people should have surrounded the bus and shot him once they could see a glimpse of him, should negotiation fails. But never mind that, he would have known what was going on outside anyways since they ALLOWED media to get involved! He could see exactly what was going on outside and clearly figure out what they were planning! Area should have been isolated; they also put the public in danger.

Bad police, bad choices. Philippines president is said to give a formal apology to Hong Kong of the death of 8 tourists and explain why authorities let the situation get so out of hand.

There was a Canadian family on the bus, and they were also from Scarborough! They had Dual Citizenship, the father was killed while trying to protect his family and so has his two daughters in which one of them went to UofT for nursing. His son is in the hospital for serious head injuries due not from the gunned men though, but from one of the very stupid policemen who hit him with a sledge hammer while breaking the window from outside. Seriously, before thinking to swing that heavy thing around, wouldn’t you wonder if there’s anyone on the other side of that window first? Stupid! The wife is alive and well, but it’s so sad. My heart goes out to the family. I can’t imagine being in a situation where in one day, you loose everyone that you love in a blink of an eye.

What’s even more ridiculous is that when everything is over, they stand around and take pictures while smiling! The nerve of these people!