12 bigwigs, 3 media outlets found liable MANILA – Moments before taking a commercial flight for the United States for his foreign trip, President Benigno Aquino III announced on Monday that he has already furnished China with a copy of the report on his government's investigation of the August 23 incident. “We gave them (China) a copy to prevent any possibility of miscommunication or misunderstanding. We are repairing relations with the PROC (People's Republic of China),” Aquino said in a message sent to media organizations. He later held a press conference in Malacanang to justify his action. Aquino also approved public release of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee's (IIRC) findings on the hostage crisis wherein eight Chinese tourists were killed by a lone Filipino following a botched negotiation during a 12-hour hostage standoff that was covered live on television. At the press conference, Aquino said the report will be published on the government's Official Gazette, www.gov.ph. “This morning, we sent a copy of the report to the Chinese ambassador. Now I am authorizing the release of IIRC's findings of fact to the public, in fulfillment of our administration's commitment to transparency. It will be published online in the Official Gazette,” Aquino said. The President named some of the 12 persons cited in the report as those who will be held liable for the hostage tragedy. They are Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, former Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa, former Manila Police District (MPD) Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Leocadio Santiago, Undersecretary Rico Puno of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Negotiator, Superintendent Orlando Yebra, Erwin Tulfo and Michael Rogas, from Radyo Mo Nationwide and three media networks. Lawmakers earlier raised a howl over Aquino's decision to give Chinese officials a first look at the report made by the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) headed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. Aquino said prudence prompted him to give a copy of the report first to the Chinese government before revealing its content to the public. He said if the official report would be disseminated to the public first, the report could be given a media twist that could be misunderstood by Chinese authorities, leading to further problems in China-Philippines ties. But with the report in Chinese hands first, such possible misunderstanding could be ruled out, he said. However, Aquino assured that although the Chinese government may get the first crack at the hostage crisis report, the Filipino people will be the first to learn about the report's contents. Communications and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang also justified the President's action saying it was a matter of courtesy and kindness to a country whose citizens were brutally killed by a lone Filipino gunman. “It's an act of courtesy more than anything else. When someone dies, you want to inform the family first before you tell the whole world,” Carandang said. “Let us look at the issues they (critics) are raising. How could the sovereignty have been violated if we ourselves decided to share it with China…it was not something imposed,” he said. Senators, including a key Aquino ally, have criticized the move. In an interview, Senator Franklin Drilon said: “I don't know what is behind the scenes of all this. It does raise a lot of questions. The Office of the President should consider the opinions expressed by other sectors.” Senator Loren Legarda, on the other hand, said the government is also accountable to the Filipino people. “We deserve to know ... The Filipino people have an equal, if not more important, right to know,” she said. Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., on one hand, noted the administration is like “working for another government.” De Lima transmitted the 83-page report to Aquino last Friday. She said the report recommends that charges be filed against 12 officials, police and members of the media, for the mishandling of the hostage negotiations last August 23 that eventually resulted in the killing of eight Hong Kong tourists by a former police officer who was subsequently shot dead by a police assault team. The incident strained ties between the Philippines and Hong Kong. De Lima also defended the President's decision to delay the release of the report to the public. Speaking to lawmakers at the House of Representatives during her agency's budget presentation, the Justice secretary said there is no intention to conceal the results from the public. She said the government merely wants to avoid irritants in the already strained relations with China by giving them the courtesy of having first crack at the report.
