The
Armed Forces of the Philippines offered a special and elite
military strike force as a “viable alternative” to deal with Monday's hostage drama in Manila but was never used by the police ground commander in resolving the crisis.
Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta, the AFP spokesman, told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, on Thursday, said the Light Reaction Company (LRC), a composite unit of highly trained and better equipped soldiers from the
Navy Seal, Army and the Air Force, was deployed by the AFP to the scene when the actions started but they were merely placed on the sideline.