Questions unasked on casino rampage

Families of the fatalities in the Resorts World casino rampage are to attend today’s congressional inquiry. That should prompt questions overlooked in last week’s hearing. Congressmen reportedly have picked up intriguing tidbits. Like, is it true that authorities knew from frantic texts where guests had closeted themselves from would-be terrorists, yet were not rescued from consequent fire? Did what turned out to be a lone gunman at one point limp out of the casino then back, brandishing a rifle but un-accosted by cops? Were the responding firemen unequipped to deal with sudden indoor blaze? Answers to these could flesh out the necessary remedial legislation.

The National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection already have concluded that the casino security force committed serious lapses. Foremost were letting the armed Jesse Javier Carlos into the premises at 12:07 a.m. last June 2, and the absence of fire-exit signs. But it seems that police and fire marshals too have some explaining to do.

From news videos, for instance, the succession of patrolmen and commandos who arrived on scene had no night-vision gear to enter the darkened building. Was that why, although they responded within three minutes of the distress call, they couldn’t confront what they were told was a band of free-firing terrorists? It took the whole night for them to find – not subdue – the lone attacker, dead.

A congressman says relatives and companions received texts from the trapped guests of their locations. Survivors had thought from initial automatic gunfire and shouts of “mga ISIS, mga ISIS!” that there were several attackers. The trapped guests dared not make any noise lest they alert the terrorists of their hiding place. All this supposedly was relayed to the police. What action was taken? Why had the rescuers not figured out and entered the nearest of the 13 fire exits to get to the victims? Only at mid-morning were most of the 37 dead found, all from suffocation in one hall and a toilet.

Also from photos, the firemen had no oxygen masks and tanks to get to the two burning card tables. Was that why they lingered for hours before springing to action? The congressman says the casino guards had to lend them the oxygen equipment.

Before any hasty conclusions, investigators must review the terra-bytes of video recordings from hundreds of CCTV cameras turned over by the casino management. That would piece together the truth, from the time the cops arrived and took control at 12:13 a.m. to the start of the blaze, the search for the gunman, till fire out and body retrieval at 9 a.m.

The footage from the main exit camera allegedly tells an odd four minutes. From 1:10 to 1:14 a.m. Carlos strode out to the driveway then back in with rifle raised above the head. Where were the cops who supposedly had the perimeter surrounded?

Police generals and security personnel supposedly were viewing the CCTV monitors in the casino control room. They watched Carlos roaming one of the adjoining Maxim Hotel floors at 1:44 a.m. When that control room filled up with smoke from the flames Carlos had ignited, they moved to the redundant monitoring room at nearby Remington Hotel. From there they then saw Carlos enter Maxim Hotel room 510. Yet four times the pursuing commandos reported not finding him there. Only when the smoke cleared at 6:20 a.m. did they come upon his dead body on the bed in that very room, with a suicide gunshot in the head.

There are also murmurs among newsmen about missing valuables of the fatalities, stolen casino playing chips, and friendly fire between different SWAT teams. Good questioning by congressmen in today’s hearing would verify those. The point of inviting the survivors and the 37 fatalities’ kin is to give them justice.

Corollary, of course, would be to pinpoint what Congress should do to upgrade police and fire fighters’ skills and materiel. This sad incident should be the last. To recall, Congress had conducted a lengthy inquiry too of the bungled SWAT rescue of foreign tourists hostaged by a crazed ex-cop in Luneta, Manila, in 2010. From that already should have been allocated ample funds to train and equip emergency responders. Was there any?

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Hotdog Dennis Garcia’s music stands out for playing on very Filipino characters and situations. Thus became instant hits “Annie Batungbakal,” “Bitin sa Iyo,” “Manila,” “Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko,” “Beh, Buti Nga,” “Bongga Ka ’Day,” and more. Now he puts his “Songs on Canvas,” depicting the same characters and situations in acrylic and pastel.

The exhibit is till June 18, at the Ricco Renzo Art Gallery, LRI Design Plaza, N. Garcia (formerly Reposo) St., Bel Air-2, Makati. Have fun matching the pictures with the song titles. Contact: +632 9892545, +63917 8135817, +63917 5641262; [email protected], [email protected].

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Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

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