00:00Around 9 in the morning, August 23, 2010 a tour bus driver was casually fanning himself while waiting for the
00:07tourists to return from their sightseeing at Fort Santiago, one of the most popular tourist spots in the Philippines.
00:13As the tourists were getting on the bus, a man in a police uniform, armed with an M16 and a
00:19pistol, also boarded the bus.
00:21He asked for a free ride, but the driver, Alberto Lubang, became worried and politely refused, but it was already
00:28too late.
00:29Without any warning, the armed man ordered the passengers to follow everything he said and took everyone on the bus
00:36hostage.
00:37On this bus were 22 tourists from Hong Kong, 3 Filipino tour guides, the driver and the hostage taker himself,
00:45the 55-year-old Ronaldo Mendoza.
00:48Why did Mendoza do such an unusual thing? And why did he choose to take the people inside the tour
00:53bus as hostages?
00:54We will provide answers to those questions.
00:57But before we start, if you are new to our channel, please don't forget to subscribe so you can always
01:02stay updated with videos like this.
01:08Mendoza was a former police officer who was dismissed from service due to alleged violations.
01:12And because of this, he lost all his benefits before he could retire.
01:16And he only had one year left to wait.
01:20Mendoza was known as hardworking and respected.
01:23He was even once recognized as one of the best police officers in the entire Philippines.
01:28After he made the announcement, he ordered the passengers to close all the curtains.
01:32He also ordered the driver to take the bus to Rizal Park, a well-known historical place.
01:38At around 10 in the morning, the bus arrived and stopped in front of Carino Grandstand, one of the main
01:43attractions in the area.
01:45And there, Mendoza handcuffed the driver so he couldn't escape.
01:48As the news spread quickly, the police arrived promptly.
01:52The incident immediately became the center of major media coverage around the world.
01:57And this is where the tragedy began to unfold, something that could no longer be stopped.
02:01Colonel Orlando Yerba and Major Romea Salvador, former colleagues of Mendoza, were assigned to negotiate with him.
02:09Mendoza said he had only one request.
02:11He wanted to be reinstated as a police officer, and if that happened, he said he would surrender willingly, even
02:17in handcuffs.
02:18Several months before the incident, Mendoza repeatedly insisted that he was innocent of the accusations against him.
02:25He had appealed to the office of the ombudsman many times, but all of those attempts failed.
02:30While this was happening at the site of Carino Grandstand, the Manila police SWAT team was already busy preparing for
02:36the worst possible scenario, storming the bus and rescuing the hostages.
02:41After this, the Special Action Force, an elite unit of the PNP, arrived following orders directly from the president.
02:49They deployed snipers at various positions around the grandstand.
02:52At the same time, Manila Vice Mayor Isco Moreno hurried to the office of the ombudsman to help fulfill Mendoza's
03:00request.
03:01Around noon, after a series of negotiations, and after informing Mendoza that his case was progressing, he released six tourists
03:09and two Filipinos.
03:11This gave everyone hope that everything would turn out well.
03:14But because of the aggressive media coverage from different angles, this is where things started to change.
03:20Inside the bus, Mendoza was focused on the television.
03:24Because the bus had a TV, he could see every move of the police and media live.
03:28This is where he suddenly got annoyed.
03:30He said TV portrayed him as if he were a criminal.
03:33Because of this, Mendoza requested that the media be allowed in so he could explain his side to the public.
03:39But the police refused because they said it was dangerous.
03:43Around 1.30 in the afternoon after a long wait, Mendoza's patience was slowly running out.
03:49Because his request was not being granted, he displayed two shocking messages on the bus window.
03:54Media now and 3 p.m. deadlock.
03:57According to him, if his demands were not met, he would take someone's life.
04:01That's why Mendoza handcuffed a tour guide near the door while the police were desperately searching for a solution.
04:09Around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, an unexpected visitor suddenly appeared.
04:13The police immediately recognized him as Mendoza's own brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza.
04:20Major Salvador immediately approached and told Gregorio that he was there to talk to his brother.
04:25However, they saw a weapon in his holster, so he was immediately disarmed right in front of his brother, who
04:30was holding hostages.
04:31And the police were worried that something might go wrong.
04:34After the commotion, the police asked Gregorio to help them convince Mendoza to extend the deadline.
04:40A few moments later, Vice Mayor Isco Moreno called Mendoza from the ombudsman to inform him that his case was
04:47really moving forward.
04:48But an unexpected event followed.
04:51Around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Gregorio was contacted.
04:54After that, Mendoza and a radio station had a live interview.
05:10After the decision didn't go in my favor because everything favored them, Gregorio happened to help them with the live
05:17interview.
05:19At the same time, the official decision from the ombudsman in the area also arrived.
05:24It was immediately given to him by the negotiators along with his sibling, Gregorio.
05:29Unfortunately, Mendoza did not like what was stated in the letter from the ombudsman himself.
05:34Unfortunately, Captain...
05:35Can we read on air the contents of the letters sent to you by the ombudsman?
05:40Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
05:45I heard and confirmed that I shall personally review it in your case.
05:52Thank you for understanding my position as I completely understand yours.
05:57This letter is incomplete. This is not it. This is not what I need.
06:02That doesn't matter. That letter means nothing to me.
06:05I'd rather have your honesty and know you're focused on business.
06:08You're better that way. That's probably why things are going wrong on this bus.
06:15Because of his intense anger, the negotiators are trying to calm him down with a proposal.
06:21Colonel Yebra said that he would talk to his superiors to issue an order to temporarily suspend the penalty against
06:27Mendoza.
06:28To everyone's surprise, Mendoza agreed to this deal.
06:32But Mayor Alfredo Lim and Ground Commander General Magdebay failed to reach an agreement about the suspension.
06:38Instead, they decided to move to a nearby restaurant to discuss it.
06:44Back at the grandstand, the media grew even more chaotic.
06:47They were racing to get the best live coverage.
06:50Even to the point of revealing sensitive information.
06:54Like the presence and location of the snipers and because the bus had a TV, Mendoza could see everything.
07:01I have a request for the police, especially for the snipers.
07:06Hello, snipers. If you don't do what I want, I'll shoot them.
07:09Shoot the brothers.
07:12At the same time, in a place where people couldn't see, the police were trying to arrest Gregorio Mendoza, the
07:18brother of the hostage taker.
07:20And as usual, the media was quick to act, focusing their cameras on Mendoza's brother who was caught in the
07:26middle of it.
07:27But why?
07:28Earlier, after Nyabra and Mendoza finished their negotiation and were about to leave, Mendoza asked a chilling question.
07:37Has his brother's firearm been returned?
07:39Nyabra answered him that yes, it had been returned.
07:41But when Gregorio heard this, he said it hadn't been returned yet.
07:45And that's when Mendoza became even angrier.
07:48No, your turner was also taken back.
07:50So he can't be questioned because he was also taken back.
07:53At the grandstand, the police tried to arrest Gregorio for carrying a weapon at the place.
07:58Possible conspiracy and obstruction of negotiation.
08:02Meanwhile, inside the bus, Mendoza's anger had reached its peak.
08:05Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no.
08:15Are the police treating me like a pig here?
08:19That has nothing to do with it.
08:21Here, if they don't fix that, I'll teach everyone inside a lesson.
08:24I'll teach them now.
08:30No, I'll teach them a lesson.
08:35I'll teach them a lesson.
08:36That's unrelated.
08:37They're messing with that here.
08:40That's it now.
08:46That's it now.
08:49You're being silly.
08:50You were just saying earlier, live, live.
08:54That's it.
08:54They're not doing it here yet.
08:56They haven't done it yet.
08:57They haven't done it yet.
09:02In the driver's seat, Alberto Lubang was desperately trying to escape from being tied up and didn't expect that he
09:07would be freed.
09:08And when he got out, he thought that everyone on the bus was already gone.
09:21That's it.
09:21They're not doing it here yet.
09:23That's it.
09:24They're not doing it here yet.
09:25Oh no.
09:26No, not by those on the bus.
09:28That's it.
09:29They're not doing everything here yet.
09:33Outside.
09:33The SAF is fully prepared to enter the bus once the order is given.
09:37But everyone was surprised by General Magtibay's decision.
09:40Instead of the SAF, he ordered the Manila Police SWAT team to storm in.
09:44Even the SWAT themselves were surprised because they lacked equipment.
09:48And the SAF would have been more suitable for the operation.
09:51But after receiving the order, the SWAT entered the scene.
10:18They tried to break the bus windows just like in the rehearsal.
10:21But it turned out that the glass was thicker and stronger compared to what they used in practice.
10:27Another SWAT team member tried to break the door, but it was too strong.
10:32Inside the bus, Mendoza could see their every move and he tried to fight back.
10:42While the whole world was watching, the SWAT thought of a new way.
10:47They tried to pull the door off using a police mobile, but while pulling, the rope snapped.
10:52After another failure and intense pressure, the SWAT couldn't think of anything else.
10:56So they accepted the media's suggestion.
10:58The plan was to use the bus's emergency exit as the entry point, and they immediately carried it out.
11:04The SWAT entered the bus, and while one SWAT member was checking inside, Mendoza suddenly attacked.
11:11Fortunately, no one was seriously hit.
11:14Most of the bullets struck the wall of the bus, and only one bullet hit the SWAT member's helmet, which
11:19saved his life.
11:21After all the plans failed, a new ground commander arrived and gave the order to turn over the operation to
11:26the Special Action Force.
11:27When the SAF took over, they immediately came up with a new strategy.
11:32Force Mendoza to come out into an open area so the snipers would have a clear target.
11:37To do this, they set off tear gas at the back of the bus.
11:42Mendoza choked and got irritated, so he was forced to retreat to the front of the bus.
11:47Meanwhile, the snipers positioned around the ground stand noticed a small movement inside.
11:52The target was gradually becoming clearer as Mendoza moved toward the front.
11:56When he reached the front, a sniper took aim and attacked, and that's where it all ended.
12:12Ronaldo Mendoza is gone.
12:22According to him, a single shot to his body ended what he was doing.
12:27In the end, he was also killed in the incident, along with Mendoza.
12:31The rescuers were surprised when they discovered that there was an eighth survivor inside the bus.
12:36People who miraculously survived.
12:46Until now, the questions still remain.
12:52Would the result have been different if all the officials had listened to his plea?
13:00Would more people have survived if he hadn't intervened?
13:10Perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided if someone had listened from the start.
13:28Perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided if someone had listened from the start.
13:41The last year, the family and her mother had listened to his Alan, who hadn't cursed him.
13:42He said, who was he?
13:42He said, how are you going to see?
13:50That was a part of the shooting shoot he told me.
13:59I wonder if this guy was a part of the shooting shoot.
14:18Now, how about you?
14:19What can you say about our video today?
14:21Let us know in the comments.
14:23And if there's a video or information you'd like to know about, let us know in the comments
14:28as well.
14:29Once again, thank you so much for watching.
14:32This is Noel Polo TV.
14:33See you on my next video.
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