De Lima contests findings of HK court on Luneta hostage case

MANILA, Philippines -  Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, chair of the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) that looked into the Aug. 23, 2010 hostage-taking incident at the Rizal Park in Manila, has accepted the findings of a Hong Kong jury that held some Filipino officials liable for the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists during the bungled police rescue operation.

De Lima, however, contested the conclusion of the Hong Kong coroner that two of the eight victims could have been saved if only the authorities were more timely and efficient in the rescue operations after the hostage-taker dismissed police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza was already gunned down.

“I’d like to say that such a finding is speculative. Evidence, especially forensic tests, did not show indication that could lead to such conclusion,” she told reporters yesterday.

“We did not see any wound on all eight victims that was not fatal,” De Lima said.

But except for this, she said the Hong Kong jury’s conclusion and the IIRC report are “essentially or substantially the same.”

“The IIRC really found that authorities were slow and inefficient in their rescue that’s why it was bungled,” she said.

De Lima admitted she is unsure how families of the victims could file civil suits against the Philippine officials found liable for the bungled police rescue.

“I don’t know if they could file those suits against a foreign government under their legal system or will they have to go to another forum like an international tribunal perhaps to pursue such remedies,” she explained.

The Hong Kong’s coroner’s court said the Filipino authorities did not meet the hostage-taker’s demands quickly enough.

The five-member jury said the bungled rescue operations also delayed medical treatment for two victims who might have been saved.

The panel also found that Filipino officials aggravated negotiations by failing to block media coverage of the arrest of the gunman’s brother, which outraged the suspect.

Some 31 Hong Kong witnesses and 10 from the Philippines testified during the inquest held at the city’s Coroner’s Court.