MANILA, Philippines - Amid a "no whitewash, no scapegoats" call by a Catholic bishop, President Benigno Aquino III Tuesday vowed he would come up with an "unassailable report" on last week's botched police rescue effort that had made his administration an object of global derision.

Mr. Aquino said "corrective actions" would be taken within the week in the aftermath of the Aug. 23 hostage drama before international television cameras that killed eight Hong Kong tourists and their captor, sacked Senior Insp. Rolando Mendoza.

During a rain-drenched Mass before 5,000 people led by top administration officials at the scene of the carnage at Rizal Park, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said that the "terrible" tragedy was "calling out to heaven for justice."

"Not only the Chinese are calling for a just and swift investigation of this case. We Filipinos demand the same from our officials. Bring out the truth. Let those responsible, whoever they may be, be held accountable. No whitewash, no scapegoats. Let there be new life now for our justice system," Pabillo said in his homily.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao said after the service that a fair and thorough investigation would "help relieve the anger and loss of Hong Kong and Chinese people."

Mr. Aquino was asked at a news conference about a statement by the Chinese envoy that the travel advisory warning issued by Beijing against visits to the Philippines would only be lifted after China received the Philippine report on the bloodbath.

"That really is a function of their government and we cannot interfere with what they believe would be most prudent as far as their citizens are concerned," he said. "But we are committed to coming out, even for our purposes alone, a report that is unassailable."

'Things I inherited'

Mr. Aquino said this was why he had given a multiagency committee headed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima "the appropriate means and the appropriate direction to come up with an unassailable report."

"I will show the things I inherited and what the corrections are. Are these institutional problems, are these organizational issues?" Mr. Aquino said. "I don't think I've ever lied to anybody here, if I tell you something will develop this week, you can count on it."

The President did not elaborate, although he said that a National Police Commission official whom he did not identify and who spoke and made damaging statements at the height of the hostage crisis would be "disciplined."

De Lima announced Tuesday that a formal public hearing would begin on Friday at the Department of Justice.

She said that her panel would consider calling Mr. Aquino himself to testify if necessary. She stressed that there was no such plan to summon the President now.

Members of probe panel

"This is meant to be a full, thorough, comprehensive and credible investigation," De Lima told a news conference.

"No whitewash whatsoever. This will be a marathon inquiry."

She said she expected a report by mid-September and anyone found responsible for the bloodbath could face criminal, civil and administrative penalties

De Lima announced that the committee, with Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo as vice chair, would have as members community leader Teresita Ang-See as representative of the Chinese-Filipino community, Herman Basbano of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas and Roan Libarios of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

The justice secretary dismissed suggestions that there might be a conflict of interest in having Robredo in the investigative panel. Robredo, who has administrative control over the police, has been criticized for the bungled rescue.

Senate probe postponed

On Sunday, De Lima issued a gag order on the separate probes being conducted by the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Forensic experts from Hong Kong who are conducting their own parallel inquiry completed examining the bus on Tuesday, she said. The team was to proceed to Camp Crame for ballistics examination of the spent bullet shells recovered from the scene.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, chair of the committee and public order, Tuesday announced a joint inquiry, which opened last Thursday, had been postponed to give way to De Lima's investigation.

Mr. Aquino also told reporters that he did not see any conflict of interest in Robredo joining the investigation. He said it was not Robredo but his undersecretary, Ric Puno, who had been designated in charge of police affairs.

Asked whether Puno should also be held accountable for the incident, he replied, "Partly."

"But again at the same time, at the end of the day I'm Commander in Chief."

Heads will roll

During the incident Mr. Aquino said he was in touch with PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa. He said he was told that Manila Police District's Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay, who had been sacked, was ground commander at the park and that the elite Special Action Force was deployed in the area if needed as a "final option."

The President said the investigation would look into why a lot of things he expected did not happen.

"Why exactly the assurances given to me were not done and that is where I will show you corrective action this week," Mr. Aquino said.

Asked whether heads would roll, he replied that replacements would be qualified to do their job, "especially when we're trying to recapture the confidence not only of our people but also our international friends."

Mr. Aquino said that he would like to show that "we are a place that is perhaps not immune like they are from crime and terrorism, but at the same time we are not a very dangerous place because we are doing our responsibilities."

Is honeymoon over?

Asked whether the hostage incident will affect his trust ratings, the President acknowledged that numbers "fluctuate."

"That might be the hope of some of our detractors but once the people are aware exactly what we did and more importantly, what we are going to do and what we have been doing, that will be maintained," he said.

Asked if the so-called 100-day "honeymoon" with the media and the public was now over, Mr. Aquino said this was "expected with the turf."

"But I am sure a lot of them, especially those who have decided to be critics regardless of the circumstances and facts, once they know of the facts they will be hard-pressed to come up with their next criticism," he said.

Also Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Ricky Carandang told reporters he would discuss with TV and radio network executives this week their coverage of the bungled assault.

"We're not trying to impose restrictions on them. we want to try to reach a common ground, how we're all going to behave if this thing happens again," he said.