By Anna Valmero, loQal.ph
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA— After the highly controversial Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking that left nine dead, including eight Hong Kong nationals and hostage-taker former police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza, it is imperative for Filipinos to know how to act if they become hostages themselves, an expert said.
“A hostage-taking is a very stressful situation so it is very important to be alert during one if you find yourself a hostage and used as a bargaining chip for a hostage-taker’s demands,” said Col. Marcelo Javier, a crisis management expert and commanding officer of the 15th Infantry Division (Ready Reserve) of the Philippine Army.
There are three main characters in a hostage situation: the hostage-taker, the rescuers and the hostages, the last being those who are used as human shields and having the highest risk of getting hurt or worse, killed.
To determine if a hostage-taker is keen on killing his hostages, Javier said a quick profiling should be done based on the reason why he is holding people against their will: criminal hostage takers are those who take hostages as human shields to evade the cops after robbing a bank, irrational hostages who have mental problems and illogical actions, and crusaders who have ideologies that they want to bring across to people.
“And you have to remember that every hostage situation has unique elements and requires different strategies and tactics. But if you are a hostage, you can increase your chances of survival by being alert,” said Javier.
The Army officer noted these reminders in case one becomes a hostage:
Don’t panic. Once you are a hostage, you have fear and denial but do not let these overcome you, said Javier. “Your main goal is to survive so always keep your wits and be alert,” he added.
A stressful situation will also aggravate medical disorders so as much as possible, keep calm, advised Dr. Isagani Gonzales, a psychiatrist at the National Center for Mental Health.
“While most hostages who are pregnant, too young or too old and have medical conditions are often released, make sure to keep calm if you belong to these groups because they are the ones at risk of being stressed easily,” Gonzales explained.
Assert that you are a person, not a hostage. If the hostage taker is calm, take a chance for him to interact with you as a person and not as an object or bargaining chip to get his demands, said Javier.
“This is the same reason why negotiators should never refer to hostages as ‘hostages’ and instead call them by name if they know, or ask the hostage taker how are the people doing there, the children, the elderly,” he added.
Do not agitate or irritate the hostage taker. Understand that a hostage taker is already under heavy stress so any slight “agitation” could make him snap and turn aggressive, warned Javier.
“If you push the wrong buttons and irritate the hostage taker, he may hurt or shoot you and other hostages so avoid this.”
Don’t change your clothes. Rescuers usually profile the hostages and if you were wearing a red jacket, for example, do not change clothes because the surveillance put labels on what they see. Try to be identified by authorities and don’t change your appearance.
Gonzales explained that a fast-paced lifestyle, noise and overcrowding in cities has led to the rising incidence of depression in the country, which, in turn, caused some people to snap and become hostage takers, similar to what happened to Mendoza.
Hence, it is also important to prevent the hostage taker from getting depressed more since this may lead to more aggressive behavior, Gonzales added.
Stay on the ground. This is important especially when there is an assault because a standing person can easily be hit by stray bullets, said Javier.
Asked if there is a time frame as to when the police should stop the negotiations and hit the hostage taker, Javier clarified that it depends on the judgment of the rescuers and the chief negotiator.
It would also help to cut the communication lines of the hostage and not to drag a family member in the crime scene, he added. If in case the hostage shoots or kills one of the hostages, “all bets are off.”
“All the rest of the people that are not part of the hostage crisis, including the media, have a goal to save the lives of the hostages. Therefore, if the media tries to contact the hostage taker, it is protocol that it should have been approved by the chief negotiator,” added Javier.
For the media, Javier suggested there should be training on the rules of engagement so that the media will understand if a news blackout is the right option instead of broadcasting the hostage crisis.
