I was already out of the newsroom when the question occurred to me. Why did Jun Ducat, millionaire businessman and master attention-seeker, schedule the release of his hostages at seven in the evening? Inquirer Compact had already gone to bed, but I still called up Abel, our executive editor, to inflict my take on him. (He was kind enough to hear me out.) The release was set for 7pm because that’s when the country’s two major newscasts air. (ABS-CBN starts earlier, but by seven in the evening GMA’s is on the air too.)
Ducat wanted maximum coverage, and he got it, live, on national TV. Or perhaps we should say, Ducat and company?
ABS-CBN reports that the police is now looking at the political gimmick angle, in part because the grenades turned out to be duds. (The, ah, prescient Chavit Singson raised the possibility, when he was interviewed over GMA last night, saying for all he knew the grenades could have been real but empty.) Truly, given Ducat’s first hostage-taking a decade ago, past is prologue.
ABS-CBN also reports that, as reader Jim and I have just discussed over in the previous post’s comment thread, both Singson and Bong Revilla did not in fact follow protocol, and defied express police instructions not to enter the bus.
(Kudos to ABS-CBN for being the first to bring this story to the next level.)
If, as President Arroyo said after the hostages were released, the incident was “prank terrorism,” shouldn’t charges be filed against those who were, let us say, accomplices in the prank?
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6 Feedbacks on "Why release the hostages at 7 pm?"
kapkon
ang gulo na nga ng bansa natin e hinahaluan pa ng mga tao na yan ng kung ano anong gimik, papano kung meron na isang tapat na pulis na galing probinsya o isang militar na kagagaling lang sa mindanao at nakita niya ang nangyayari na hostage drama kuno, at nagresponde siya dahil galit siya sa mga masasamang elemento, ano na lang ang kahihinatnan ng mga nahostage kuno, baka ang nangyari e nakapatay yung mabait na nagresponde o kaya e si singson e nadale pa o kaya si sen. bong, dapat naman mag isip isip muna yung script writer niyan, di sa lahat ng oras o pagkakataon e naaaliw ang pilipino sa drama.
NICKY sILVESTRE
This is a new type of campaign propaganda that will surely catch attention from the public eye. Bong and Chavit is secured in their senatorial seats, campaign money is spent wisely and effectively for this circus if it’s indeed politically motivated. Philippines offer the greatest show on Earth with regard to electoral campaign, the actual election itself, the actual candidates themselves - you name it “basta Pinoy”, that’s bureaucracy at its finest. Excuse me for those who are in public service which is not part of the shamed system but we all know that most of them are assholes.
Chad Francis
It’s not that hard to see the obvious,when you can see the obvious,unless people are naive of what they see.I agree with you-CHAVIT IT IS.Ask for the guy,who is now being the good guy?after maligning people of his participation for 1k giftprize,whew!!!..for the unguarded vote of the less unfortunate..wow!!!if i’m ducat,I say get me Chavit,vote for the guy-maka amu ti isu na..white washing techniques….thanx.
TonGuE-tWisTeD
The guy lost the script and blundered his adlib in his spiel. He was not supposed to mention corruption at all. Corruption, the first-rate kind, was there with him inside the bus holding the grenade!
Silverarrowtip
Well, politics in the Philippine is in the finest hour. You can actually see the full support of one party making political gymik. We saw the actors and in the show. But the question there is who is the director and the producer of the little drama that was hugely publicised in the media allover the world.
We should expect more to come in the next few weeks!
cargo pax
people having lived in fantasy like actors spending most of their lives in fiction are traumatized ones.they should see a psychiatrist.
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