MPD after 2010 hostage crisis: No more ‘bahala na’

MANILA, Philippines - The “bahala na (come what may)” approach of the Manila police’s SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) operatives are over, as its 65-strong team learns from the mistakes from the hostage crisis that claimed the lives of eight Hong Kong tourists in 2010, an official said yesterday.

First, the unit ensures that all members are properly trained before joining the elite Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) of the Manila Police District (MPD). Second, members undergo drills at least once a month to ensure they can respond accordingly.

Senior Inspector Rolando Armendez, who heads the MPD’s SWAT unit, said the police officers who handled the hostage-taking at the Quirino Grandstand on Aug. 23, 2010 “did not have enough” training and were ill-prepared for such incidents.

Armendez took over the MPD-SWAT in 2014, four years after the hostage-taking incident, perpetrated by disgruntled police captain Rolando Mendoza, placed the country at the forefront of international humiliation.

What humiliated the country further was after 11 hours of negotiations failed, a disorganized MPD-SWAT led by Chief Inspector Santiago Pascual III showcased its inefficiency before the world, officials earlier said.

 Today marks the fifth year of the bungled operation, in which Mendoza managed to kill eight tourists before a sniper ended his life.

Since assuming his post, Armendez sent his men to 14 different courses in the country and abroad. SWAT members leave in batches due to budget constraints, and come home to teach other members what they learned, he said.

Among the courses they underwent was “Sureshock,” an urban counter-revolutionary warfare course offered by the police Special Action Force, and a SWAT refresher course in North Carolina last year.

He said while he could not pinpoint all the problems that the MPD-SWAT had in the past, the lack of training and weapons have been addressed.

“Now there is regular proficiency firing. Before, they did not practice shooting. They put it down to come what may,” Armendez said.

Members of the MPD-SWAT hold drills every two weeks even as MPD chief Senior Superintendent Rolando Nana requires them to conduct monthly exercises to improve their capability to assault a target.

The Philippine National Police and Mayor Joseph Estrada have also provided support by refurbishing the MPD’s firing range, providing police officers with new handguns and distributing scopes for their M-16 rifles.

“All the police officers under MPD-SWAT have new guns and are proficient at using them,” Armendez said.

He said the MPD-SWAT is “ready” and he guaranteed that should its members “can react accordingly.”