Clad in his police uniform, SPO2 Mendoza, the brother of slain hostage taker, former Police Insp. Rolando Mendoza, walked inside the sala of Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10 Judge Virgilio Alameda at around 9 a.m., Tuesday to attend his scheduled arraignment for the charge of Illegal /Unlawful Possession of Firearms (PD 1866 as amended RA 8294).

He was followed by his 18-year-old daughter Princess and his lawyer Mayo Domingo Ramos.

It was the second arraignment of SPO2 Mendoza for the three different cases filed against him months after his brother took hostage a busload of tourists from Hong Kong on August 23, 2010.

Last March, Mendoza was arraigned before the sala of Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MMTC) Branch 11 Judge Ermin Ernest Louie Miguel for the charge of serious disobedience but the judge himself entered a not guilty plea for the accused as he declined to do so.

SPO2 Mendoza, meanwhile, had yet to be arraigned for the crime of conspiracy to commit serious illegal detention.

During Mendoza’s arraignment, the police officer pleaded not guilty as he insisted that the he had no ill intention when he decided to come to Quirino Grandstand and ask his brother to surrender.

“Not guilty your honor,” Mendoza told Alameda in a court room packed with people.

In an interview outside the court room, SPO2 Mendoza denied that he had no authority to carry a gun during the height of the hostage taking crisis incident as he insisted that the charges hurled against was intended to harass him.

“I am authorized to carry a gun since I am a member of the PNP. I was on duty before the incident happened. I was not told that it was not legal to carry a gun when in plainclothes. I am a policeman and I am authorized to carry a gun,” he said.

“From the very beginning this is harassment. But I have no choice but to face the charges. But later on I will have justice,” the embattled police officer said.

If there would be sanctions to be filed against him, Mendoza admitted that he should only be held administratively liable since the firearm was not used in the commission of a crime.

“I was assigned to the Investigation Division of the MPD during that time. My work is continuous since I was following up cases. When you are in the investigation, our work is continuous,” he said when asked why he was carrying a gun during the hostage crisis.

When asked if he was suspended after the August 23 hostage fiasco, Mendoza said that he is currently assigned at the Holding Section of the National Capital Region Police Office.

But the police officer is now mulling spending time in the mountains to conduct a soul searching amid the problems caused by the tragedy of the hostage incident perpetrated by his brother.

“I might go to Mt. Banahaw to ease my problems. Somebody called me and advised me to go the mountains to ease my problems. I might go on leave for two days. All kinds of challenges I already endured, both physically and mentally,” he said.

“I could still concentrate on my work. However, in spite of me on duty, I have no service firearm. But I am ready to serve the Philippine National Police. I still have three more years to go before I retire,” Mendoza said.

When asked if he still had faith on his colleagues at the Manila Police District (MPD), he said: “I still have trust in the MPD, but there are people who don’t see me as one of their colleagues because maybe they were influenced by some of the members.”

Leonardo Postrado, Manila Bulletin