Hostage Taking Outside Manila City Hall

This morning, we at the bank heard a report on the radio about a hostage taking outside the Manila City Hall. There was a bus filled with 32 kindergarden daycare students and 2 teachers who were supposed to be on there way to Tagaytay for a class field trip. The hostage taker was the owner of the Daycare Center, Jun Ducat.

Unlike any other hostage takers, his demands were very unusual. He wanted the gov't to shoulder the education of these students and others till college and also to air his grievances about the corruption of the Philippines government.

White candles had been lit, in accordance with Ducat's request, and placed in yellow cups lined up under the yellow police tape used to cordon off the area. Police and other officials also held candles outside the bus, as did people in the crowd that went to watch the situation unfold.

Shortly after 7PM, he released the kids as promised.

I walked to City Hall after office to take some snapshots of the "event".


Traffic was heavy, a huge crowd mostly who were at the scene since morning were being cordoned off by the police were waiting to see what would transpire after the set 7PM deadline.



Fire trucks, police and ambulances were on standby.


And of course the media setting up for the evening newscast.


These are shots of Mike Enriquez, news anchor for GMA 7's "24 Oras" setting up for the live broadcast.