China expressed “strong indignation” Friday after the Philippine flag was placed on the coffin of a dismissed policeman who took several Hong Kong tourists hostage and killed eight, the latest fallout from bloodshed that has strained Manila's ties with Beijing. Television footage showed the flag draped over the coffin of Rolando Mendoza, who was killed by a police sniper Monday after he opened fire on the Hong Kong tourists he had held hostage for a day while demanding his job back. The 55-year-old was a decorated officer who was once cited by the police force as one of the “10 outstanding policemen” in the Philippines. Mendoza's family had placed the flag on the coffin, which was displayed in their hometown in Batangas province, south of Manila, ahead of the funeral Saturday. They removed it after China's protest. “The person who deserves a national flag at funeral should be someone of heroism, decency and integrity, not someone who inflicts atrocity on innocent lives,” the Chinese Embassy said in a terse statement. “This is nothing but a smear on the dignity of the Philippine national flag,” it said. It added that it condemns “the brutality of the criminal and expresses its strong indignation over this irritating act.” Stunned by the Chinese reaction, Malacanang immediately ordered local authorities to remove the flag on the casket, saying the act was not sanctioned by the Aquino government. “This was an act of the family (of Mendoza),” said Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning head Ricky Carandang. “Nobody from the government has ordered that,” he added. Mendoza's remains lie in his hometown of Tanauan, Batangas province. Mendoza, a dismissed police officer, died in a hail of bullets Monday after police assaulted the bus, where he held hostage 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos, for more than 11 hours. The police was forced to attack the bus after Mendoza started shooting his hostages. Carandang said Malacanang instructed Tanauan City Mayor Sonia Torres-Aquino to have the flag removed at around 3:20 P.M. but the flag was reportedly only removed shortly before 5 P.M. When an unidentified government agent removed the flag and took it away, Mendoza's relatives protested, with one of them reportedly saying, “What else do they want? Do they want to remove his clothes, too?” The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the draping of the flag on Mendoza's casket did not conform to existing regulations.”There are rules and protocol with respect to the manner of display of the Philippine flag and we do not consider the display of the Philippine flag in this particular instance as conforming with existing rules,” the DFA said. The hostage-taking has caused dismay in Beijing and Hong Kong although the spat did not result in a recall of ambassadors. Philippine National Police spokesman Agrimero Cruz said also police authorities did not give the order required for draping a national flag on Mendoza's coffin, who had received medals while in service. “When he took hostages, all his decorations have lost their meaning,” he said. China's Foreign Ministry Thursday pressed Manila to complete the investigation of the hostage crisis “as soon as possible.” Second replacement The officer appointed acting Manila police chief after his predecessor stood down in the wake of a botched hostage rescue has himself been replaced, heaping further humiliation on the Philippines' security forces. Senior Superintendent Francisco Villaroman was made acting head of the Manila Police District after the ground commander stood down Wednesday while the hijack drama was investigated. Villaroman was replaced after one day. Police gave no reason for his removal, but the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper said Villaroman was among police officers charged in the disappearance of two Hong Kong residents in the Philippines in 1998 and 1999.
