Estrada commemorates Luneta hostage crisis

MANILA Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada vowed Thursday that the 2010 Luneta hostage crisis would never occur again, saying authorities have learned so much from the incident that had tarnished the relationship between Hong Kong and Manila.

Estrada joined Buddhist monks on Wednesday at the road fronting Quirino Grandstand praying for the souls of eight foreign tourists--six Hong Kong nationals, one Canadian and one British--who perished along with hostage-taker Senior Insp. Rolando Mendoza on August 23, 2010 in an incident that lasted eight hours.