The only policeman on trial in connection with the hijacking of the bus is counting the days to his retirement in six months.
Senior Police Officer 2 Gregorio Mendoza said he continued to face two criminal charges - one as a "co-accomplice" of his hostage-taker brother Rolando, the other for illegal possession of firearms.
He faces the firearms charge because he was not in uniform when his service pistol was found tucked under his shirt just as he was about to be escorted to talk to his elder brother, who was holding the hostages on the tour bus.
Mendoza is out on a 200,000 peso (HK$35,000) bail but continues to report for night duty at a police district office.
On May 8, five days before the May 13 congressional and local polls, Mendoza staged a hunger strike in front of a bus terminal near his home in Manila.
"I wanted to protest against the fact that mayor Alfredo Lim [who was running for re-election in Manila] was recommended for a month-long suspension [by interior and local government secretary Jesse] Robredo, but he was never served that order," he told the South China Morning Post. Mendoza blames Lim for his predicament. He claims Lim used him as a scapegoat.