Dive into the gripping story of the Manila hostage crisis and discover what really happened inside that infamous tour bus! From tense negotiations to unexpected twists, this video unpacks every dramatic moment. Stick around for some jaw-dropping details and thought-provoking questions. Subscribe to catch more stories like this, and comment below what shocked you the most! #history #truecrime #news #documentary #Philippines
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0:00 - Hostage Crisis at Fort Santiago Begins
1:08 - Mendoza's Background and Motive
1:28 - Hostages Taken to Quirino Grandstand
2:01 - Negotiations and Media Coverage Intensify
3:21 - Media Complications and Mounting Tensions
5:00 - Failed Negotiations and Police Response
6:39 - Tensions Escalate and SWAT Prepares
8:35 - SWAT Assault, Aftermath, and Reflection
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Hostage Crisis at Fort Santiago Begins
1:08 - Mendoza's Background and Motive
1:28 - Hostages Taken to Quirino Grandstand
2:01 - Negotiations and Media Coverage Intensify
3:21 - Media Complications and Mounting Tensions
5:00 - Failed Negotiations and Police Response
6:39 - Tensions Escalate and SWAT Prepares
8:35 - SWAT Assault, Aftermath, and Reflection
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LearningTranscript
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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