From philstar.com
The hostage-taking crisis in a rural bank in Bacoor, Cavite has ended after four gunmen surrendered and released all their remaining hostages.
The hostage-takers went out of the Masuerte Rural Bank with their hostage and slowly boarded a waiting ambulance with all the hostages. The crisis ended around 2:45 p.m.
Police said that the four robbers, reportedly armed with high-powered firearms, entered the bank around 12:30 p.m. They were forced to take hostage at least six people inside the bank after the policemen arrived.
Earlier reports said that there were at least eight hostages.
Minutes before their surrender, the hostage-takers released the bank's bookkeeper, Danilo Gonzalez, who is a diabetic.
Senior Superintendent John Bulalacao, Cavite Police Provincial Office, said that the four robbers left their firearms inside the bank as agreed during the negotiations.
Bulalacao said that no one among the hostages and the hostage-takers were hurt during the nearly three-hour crisis.
Superintendent Edgar Roquero, Bacoor town police chief, earlier said that the hostage-takers initially demanded for a getaway vehicle and signified their willingness to surrender.
Quick response
As soon as the hostage-taking crisis started, the police and the local government immediately formed a crisis management committee.
As members of the committee arrived, several police teams, including members of the Special Weapons and Tactics, were already in position and have surrounded the vicinity of the bank.
Last year, policemen and local authorities were blamed for the bloody end of the Manila hostage crisis, where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed by the hostage-taker after a bungled rescue operation.
The hostage-taker, a disgruntled policeman, was killed by a police sniper.
Live media coverage of the hostage crisis was partly blamed by the authorities for the incident.
Media helped
Bulalacao, meanwhile, said during a brief interview with the media after the release of the hostages, said that members of the media helped the authorities to resolve the hostage crisis peacefully.
While the crisis was ongoing, radio dzRH was able to interview one of the hostages identified as Luz dela Cruz, who relayed the hostage-takers' request for the policemen to pull away from the bank's vicinity.
"Hindi daw sila lalaban basta aatras lang daw ang mga pulis. Hindi kami sinasaktan, susuko daw sila basta aatras lang daw ang mga pulis," said Dela Cruz, the bank's posting clerk.
The bank employee repeatedly pleaded to the police during the interview to withdraw.
"Parang awa niyo na. Hindi po kami sinasaktan. Inutusan po ako na magsalita sa media na umalis na ang mga police na nakapalibot sa building at susuko po sila," the beleaguered employee said.
As the radio interview continued, Luz announced that their hostage-takers released Gonzalez.
Won't surrender to police
In a separate interview by radio dzRH, one of the four hostage-takers who identified himself as "Johnny" spoke with Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla over radio dzRH and requested the local official to order the policemen around the bank to move back.
"Johnny" assured that they wil not hurt the hostages as long as policemen will refrain possible plans of conducting an assault. He also asked the mayor to stop the deployment of more policemen in the bank's vicinity.
Revilla, meanwhile, assured the safety of the of the suspects, saying "sagot ko kayo, hindi kayo magagalaw."
The hostage-taker also told the mayor that they will surrender only to him or the any members of the media.
"Wala pong problema sa amin. Susuko po kami pero 'yung mga babae dito natatakot sa mga pulis na nagpapaikot-ikot. Huwag kayong mag-aalala sa mga tao sa loob, susuko po kami kay mayor," he said.
"Ayaw naming sumuko sa mga pulis. Natatakot po kami kasi ang ibang pulis 'di na nila pinapadating sa presinto 'pag nakahuli sila ng taong katulad namin, pinapatay na nila," the hostage-taker added.
"Ayaw naming mamatay at ayaw din namin pumatay," he said.
A police officer involved in the negotiations said in a separate radio interview that they are expecting the hostage crisis to end before sunset.
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