Such was the statement that appeared in the blog of a certain Bang Lu Min who declared himself as one of the hostages on board the tourist bus hijacked by former Manila police captain Rolando Mendoza.
The Chinese survivor said that Mendoza became even more upset when he saw on television that his brother was arrested. The other hostages inside the bus were complaining that they were hungry and had to go to the toilet. The others were just groaning and whining.
“Captain Mendoza was really a nice person. He treated us well and even let the elders and the children leave the bus. He said the police treated him unfairly. He was a police officer too and was accused of doing something he had no knowledge of. But your government didn’t listen so he used us to get everyone’s attention.” – wrote Bang Lu Min.
“Things would have never turned for the worst if he didn’t see how his family was dragged out of their house and taken into custody. He was watching the news all the time as we huddled around each other behind the bus. He shouted some words in Tagalog then started shooting in the air.” – Mr. Bang added.
As reported in Philippine Daily Inquirer, it was Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim who ordered the arrest of Mendoza’s brother. Like the hostage taker, the younger Mendoza was also a police officer.
No one knows for sure if the blog entry made by this Bang Lu Min is an accurate description of what really happened inside the bus. There is possibility that the name is merely an alias to protect his real identity. – ?