By JHON ALDRIN CASINAS
The 10-hour hostage-taking at V-Mall in Greenhills shopping complex in San Juan City ended with the arrest of the gunman and the safe release of all hostages late Monday night.
Hostage-taker Archie Paray, a former security guard, came out of the mall after long hours of negotiations.
Prior to his arrest, high-ranking security officials of the shopping center and its hired security agency apologized to him.
On Monday noon, Paray held hostage around 30 employees and shot another security guard, identified as Ronald Velita, at V-Mall, authorities said.
Velita was rushed to nearby Cardinal Santos Medical Center for treatment and was said to be in stable condition.
Paray alleged that the “corruption” in the shopping center urged prompted him to stage the hostage-taking.
The alleged “corruption” has been denied by the high-ranking officials of Greenhills Mall and its hired security agency, SASCOR, during a press briefing.
Paray alleged that his superiors receive a P5,000 bribe money from tenants.
He also asked San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora about his fate after his surrender.
“Pagkatapos nito mayor, saan ang pupuntahan ko, sa presinto o sa sementeryo?,” Paray asked Zamora.
The mayor told Paray to think about his family, but he replied to him that he would rather choose the cemetery.
Moments after, Paray stopped talking. A commotion occurred when authorities suddenly tackled Paray and pinned him down.
According to authorities, a firearm of undetermined caliber was seized from his possession.
Zamora told reporters that they knew all along that Paray was armed and they were “watching his two hands.”
“So paglabas niya meron siyang baril kanina,” Zamora said.
The mayor said that they decided to let Paray calm down first by letting him “express his feelings towards the security agency.”
Paray is now under the custody of San Juan City Police.