Manila Hostage-Taker’s Last Interview
HERE ARE excerpts from the exclusive live radio interview between Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN) anchormen Michael Rogas and Erwin Tulfo and Senior Insp. Rolando Mendoza immediately before Mendoza opened fire at his hostages on Aug. 23 at the Rizal Park.This was published in Filipino (Tagalog) in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
MICHAEL: Nasan na po yung sulat na binigay sa inyo?
(Where's the letter from the Ombudsman?)
MENDOZA: Ibinigay ko yung dalang sulat, ibinalik ko, eh nakikiusap lang na maging peaceful ako, na maging kalmado at pagbigyan ko nga, ay hindi ganun kadali yon... Ayan oh may nakita akong sniper ha! Ay sabihin mo sa kanya baka hindi niya kayang i-sniper yung nakatayo sa harapan ng bus ha! Baka sabihin mo din sa umii-sniper baka hindi nila kayang patamaan yung nasa loob ng bus ha, kayang kaya kong patamaan yung nasa pintuan, kaya kamo ay bitawan ’yang mga sniper na yan.
I gave the letter back. just asking me to be peaceful, to be calm and give them a chance, but it's not that easy. “There, I saw a sniper. Tell him maybe he can’t shoot at anyone standing at the front of the bus, ha! Tell him also that maybe he can’t shoot at those inside the bus, ha! I can easily shoot the hostage by the door. That’s why tell them to let those snipers go.
MICHAEL: Okay naririnig po kayo ngayon sa pamamagitan ng RMN. Naririnig po kayo ng mga pulis, meron po ba kayong pakiusap dun sa mga sniper na sinasabi ninyo?
(Ok, you are being heard now via RMN. Police are listening now. Do you have anything to say to the snipers?)
Snipers
MENDOZA: Ah yung mga sniper eh pag ’di sila nagsi-alis sa kanilang puwesto ay sasampolan ko sila at ii-snipe-in ko kamo yung nasa pintuan!
(To those snipers, if they don't get off their positions, I will give them an example and then snipe the one at the door!)
MICHAEL: Opo … si Erwin Tulfo po yung aming kasama ay nariyan po ngayon, alam ko po na napapakinggan niyo po si kasamang Erwin Tulfo kanina … kilala niyo po ba si Erwin Tulfo?
Yes... Erwin Tulfo (radio personality), is there now. I know you were listening to him earlier. Do you know him?
MENDOZA: Kilala kong personal yan, galing ng Manila ’yan.
(I know him personally, he's from Manila.)
“I can see so many SWAT members coming. I can see them all around. I know they will kill me, so they should just leave because I can also kill the people here.”
At certain parts of the interview, Rogas offered Mendoza a line to family members.
The hostage-taker refused, saying he had already spoken with some of them:
“No, not with my family. I don’t want to talk with them anymore given my feelings. I’ll just cry. They won’t tell me anything but plead for me to surrender. And I won’t surrender until the decision of the Ombudsman is reversed.”
It came to a point when an apparently weary Mendoza admitted irritation and uncertainty about what to do next: “Ah, medyo naiirita na po ako. Ang kwan ko po ay nagbabago na dahil ako’y natitimpi pa. Pero malamang eh dahil po siguro … eh nagbabago na po ang aking isipan.”
Things took a turn for the worst when Mendoza saw on the bus TV his brother being arrested by police:
“I can see the situation. Why are they treating my brother that way? He has nothing to do with this. If they don’t stop that, I’ll kill the people here inside the bus. I’ll do it if they don’t stop.”
Rogas tried to pacify Mendoza, saying repeatedly: “Please be calm.”
But Mendoza’s rage was already palpable: “There. I can see it here. It’s happening in front of the camera. They’re treating my brother, who’s a policeman, like a pig. He has done no crime. He has no knowledge of this. He only learned about it on TV. Why treat him that way?”
Rogas frantically told Tulfo to warn authorities on the ground that Mendoza was reacting violently to his brother’s arrest.
As his brother was being pushed into a police car, Mendoza declared: “There. There. When that mobile patrol car leaves with my brother, I will shoot those at the front of the bus.”
Rogas said: “Please wait.”
Mendoza replied: “I will shoot all of them.”
‘Even the small ones’
Shots rang out, along with weeping and screaming.
“That’s what I have been saying,” Mendoza said. “I shot two of the Chinese. If they don’t change the situation, I will finish off even the small ones here.”
Rogas appealed again for calm.
Mendoza just said “I will finish these people off if [those policemen] don’t stop running there at the side of the bus … I will finish these people off.
“They should let my brother go. Why do they do that to him when I’m the one doing this? Why are they arresting him when I’m the one committing this crime? I’m the one they should arrest!”
Then Mendoza’s line went dead.
