Alfred Dalizon

Rizal cops really saved PNP, PH from another embarrassment

February 1, 2025 Alfred P. Dalizon 1260 views

I’M talking of the fine job done by the Rizal Police Provincial Office in peacefully resolving a hostage-taking incident already being shown on Facebook Live by netizens gathered in the area.

Without firing any shot, the Rizal policemen led by Colonel Philip Maraggun successfully convinced the hostage-taker to release his prey and peacefully surrender.

The incident really snarled traffic in the area and nearby highways but what the heck: in the end, those policemen showed what real training and patience can do in such a situation which could have gone all wrong if it ended in violence, with the kid hurt and the suspect shot in full view of netizens, both here and abroad.

PNP chief General Rommel Marbil lauded the officers and men of the Rizal PPO led by Col. Maraggun for their feat. He said that the “swift and heroic response” of the Rizal policemen in the evening of January 25 led in the safe rescue of the 1-year old girl seized by her knife-wielding father.

The top cop said through tactical expertise, patience, and skilled negotiation, the responding officers subdued the suspect and safely rescued the child after a tense two-hour standoff. It’s also good that those cops ensured that the hostage-taker won’t be mobbed by hundreds of ‘uziseros’ who flocked in the area.

It was the latest successful police response to a hostage-taking incident in the country and credit it to real training. I would cite in particular a similar incident on March 2, 2020 when the Eastern Police District led by my late friend Brigadier Gen. Orlando Yebra successfully resolved a hostage-taking incident in Greenhills Mall where a former security guard seized at least 30 people.

However, over the past 35 years of covering the police force, I would say that dozens of hostage-taking incidents, many of them I covered, ended up violently. Who will forget in particular former Judge-turned- NBI Director Jimmy ‘Sharpshooter’ Santiago, a former Manila Police SWAT officer who became known for killing a number of violent hostage-takers during his active police career?

I also remember that 2002 hostage-taking incident inside the Pasay bus terminal wherein the whole country watched as a man seized a 4-year old boy and later stabbed him 13 times. TV cameras captured the scene as well as when police fired at the suspect who was also mobbed by a crowd

That incident embarrassed the PNP leadership and prompted the PNP Internal Affairs Service to recommend the forced resignation of the then Pasay City police chief and the dismissal of six of his men as a result of the ‘botched operation.’

Lastly, the most infamous of them is the 2010 Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident which saw bumbling Manila police SWAT troopers and lack of crowd control management during the botched rescue attempt.

That incident really embarrassed the country and prompted calls for then President Benigno Aquino III to apologize to the Hongkong government and its people which he refused leading to strained relations between Manila and Hongkong.

The August 23, 2010 incident beamed live worldwide led in the death of eight of the hostages and the suspect, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza who obviously was agitated by the police during the negotiations.

Gen. Marbil said the Taytay incident “highlights the importance of continuous training and preparedness in handling high-risk situations. Our personnel’s quick and decisive action ensured the safety of the victim and prevented further harm.”

The PNP chief also emphasized the dedication of the responding policemen in protecting the victim, the hostage-taker himself and the rest of the general public who gathered at the scene.

“Their courage and professionalism in de-escalating a life-threatening situation reflect the PNP’s unwavering commitment to public safety,” he said as he vowed to further continue their programs to enhance their crisis response capabilities to serve and protect the public.

A top National Police Commission official also commended Maraggun for his role in the successful rescue of the baby girl last Saturday evening.

“Your ability to conduct a peaceful negotiation, dauntless actions and quick thinking in protecting innocent lives embody the highest standards of law enforcement. It is through your unwavering dedication to preserving life and maintaining calm under intense situation that speaks much of your leadership, and commitment to the safety of the public., and your bravery serves as an inspiration to your colleagues and a testament to the vital role of the police force in upholding peace, order and security,” Commissioner Rafael Vicente Calinisan said.

It turned out that Maraggun and his men rushed to the scene of the hostage-taking last Saturday and directly negotiated with the hostage-taker while ordering his men to control the angry crowd gathered at the area. After an hour-long negotiation, the suspect who was accused of repeatedly molesting his 13-year-old stepdaughter yielded and handed his daughter to Marragun.

The suspect who was armed with a bladed weapon was immediately placed under arrest and whisked to the local police station without being touched by the mob. He is now facing criminal charges for alarm and scandal, illegal possession of a bladed weapon and violation of Republic Act 9262 or the anti-violence against women and their children act.

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