Senate to probe Lim’s role in botched rescue attempt
By Angie Rosales 08/28/2010 Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim faces an inquiry before his former colleagues in the Senate for reportedly ordering the arrest of the brother of hostage-taker which is believed to have triggered Capt. Rolando Mendoza to snap and kill eight of his remaining foreign hostages. Senate investigators, however, are conspicuously cautious in stating the possible liability of the mayor in the apparent mishandling of Monday’s hostage crisis. Sen. Gregorio Honasan, overall chairman in the Senate’s inquiry into the hostage crisis, yesterday indicated accountability of more and higher personalities, if information and testimonies that will be gathered, support this assessment. “We asked that question to (Interior) Secretary (Jesse) Robredo and his reply was that the chain of command will not stop with (Manila District Police chief) Gen. (Rodolfo) Magtibay. It went all the way to the top. There is an override mechanism when there are lapses. The next higher commander will assume control and responsibility and that’s what we have found out from the committee hearing,” Honasan, chairman of the committee on public order and illegal drugs, said. “We will be talking about command responsibility. Then we will wait for an investigation report. We don’t want to be premature and hasty in judging the negotiation and subsequent tactical operation,” he added. Lim, for his part, also yesterday expressed his willingness to face the Senate as he stood pat on his claim that he did not order the arrest of SPO2 Mendoza but merely instructed other police personnel to handcuff and restrain the brother of the slain hostage-taker.... MORE |
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