Arroyo defends soldiers, cops in The Pen siege

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Thursday evening defended the police and military operatives who took part in quelling the standoff at the Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati City on November 29, amid criticisms of "overkill" by security forces in ending the crisis. In a statement in a statement posted on the Office of the Press Secretary website , President Arroyo said her first priority was to secure peace, order and stability. "The men and women of our police and military put their lives on the line every day to protect the nation and that they handled this issue without bloodshed is a godsend to our nation. I am proud of their dedication," she said. "My first priority is to secure peace, order and stability, and that is precisely what I did. I moved swiftly to restore order and keep the nation safe," she added. Police and military personnel quickly moved in to The Peninsula hotel to end a standoff started by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim. No one was hurt in the assault. But they came under heavy criticism after arresting journalists at the scene, handcuffing them and bringing them to Camp Bagong Diwa for questioning aboard a prison bus. The incident prompted a dialogue among police, media and military representatives Wednesday but nothing concrete came out of the meeting. - GMANews.TV