Hostage crisis at bank in the Philippines ends safely

Hostage crisis at bank in the Philippines ends safely

2011-10-14 06:29:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- A two-hour hostage crisis at a bank in the Philippines ended safely on Thursday afternoon after the group of bank robbers released their hostages, officials said.

The incident began at around 12:30 p.m. local time when four gunmen entered the Masuerte Rural Bank in Bacoor, a first class urban municipality in the province of Cavite. The robbers were armed with what police described as high-powered firearms.

Security forces responded quickly to the attempted bank robbery, forcing the gunmen to take six people hostage inside the building. Local government officials quickly set up a crisis management committee to handle the situation as police teams and the country's Special Weapons and Tactics teams responded to the scene.

"Specialized units such as a Special Weapons and Tactics Team, public safety officers, and medical personnel were likewise on-site within a few minutes, while fire trucks had been put on standby in the area and a police line was put up," said Edwin Lacierda, a presidential spokesman. "The negotiating team was able to establish contact with the hostage-takers within 40 minutes."

According to Bacoor Police chief Superintendent Edgar Roquero, the bank robbers were demanding a getaway vehicle in exchange for the safe release of the hostages. But as negotiations continued, the robbers released one of the hostages due to his health condition as a result of diabetes. He was identified as Danilo Gonzalez, the bank's bookkeeper.

About an hour later, at 2:45 p.m. local time, the hostage-takers agreed to exit the bank along with the hostages. As part of the deal, the four robbers left their firearms inside the bank and surrendered in front of the media because of their fears the police would hurt them.

No one was injured.

The Philippines was also the scene of a hostage crisis about a year ago. In August 2010, dismissed police officer Rolando Del Rosario Mendoza seized a tourist bus at a seaside park in Manila city. After more than 10 hours, the hostage taker opened fire on his hostages, killing eight Chinese tourists before he was shot dead by police.

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