Robredo: Lim liable for Luneta bloodbath

President Benigno Aquino III sat on a recommendation of then Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo to suspend Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for the Luneta hostage crisis in August, 2010. The hostage crisis led to the death of 8 tourists from Hong Kong and the hostage taker, a dismissed Manila cop. Documents provided to Rappler by Lim’s political rivals showed the late Interior Secretary found Lim administratively liable for the mishandling of the situation that strained relations between Manila and Beijing. In a memorandum issued on May 9, 2012 – almost 2 years after the incident – Robredo recommended a one-month suspension for Lim for “simple neglect of duty.” President Aquino, a longtime family friend and political ally of Lim, set aside the recommendation. Three months later, Robredo died in a plane crash. The IIRC noted that when Lim instructed Manila police to bring the hostage-taker’s brother to Tondo– a euphemism for a dumping place for dead bodies– it was tantamount to ordering the latter’s summary execution. The incident which played out on national TV angered the hostage-taker. The IIRC also said Lim abandoned the command post at a crucial moment and invited the ground commander for a snack at the Emerald Restaurant. The IIRC concluded that Lim “failed to observe the appropriate degree of attention required by the gravity and highly-volatile nature of the crisis.” Lim sought to dismiss the case against him, blaming police officials instead.

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