Showboat

"Pakitaan mo sila ng di pa nila nakikita..."


Hostage Taking: Pinoy Style!


Jun Ducat with two accomplice held hostage of a bus filled with 32 children. The bus was supposedly scheduled for a field trip. Information about this individual surfaced. He had a history of hogging the limelight like he took hostage of two priests on disputes of San Roque Church's construction during late 80's, he went on hunger strike in 1995, and he ran for congress in 2001.

In the heat of the approaching elections, Jun Ducat made a publicity stunt and became a glorified hostage taker. Throughout the drama, he vented his frustrations on poverty, lack of education, and corrupt politicians by making speech on air. Glorified hostage taker he was because of the principle he vented out and his sentiment was the same with the common people. But the bottomline, he put the lives of innocent in danger just to be heard.

My first thought in this situation was politicians would take this opportunity. And I was right. Bong Revilla was on the scene. To my shock, he went inside the bus and negotiated with Jun Ducat. In handling this situations, I am not a professional or anything, the police should have negotiated with the hostage taker not a mere civilian. It would have endangered the life of another. Honestly I was waiting for Jun Ducat to shoot Bong Revilla. Knock on wood it didn't happen. For me, Bong Revilla was quite ok because he had a clear relationship with the hostage taker but when Chavit Singson became involved it was nonsense. Lives were being played.

When Chavit came I said to myself, it' all politics. For me, Chavit bit the bullet. It was funny because of all the people Jun Ducat called for help was the embodiment of a true pinoy politician he was ranting about. And I mean you need guns and goons to be a typical pinoy politician. Ironic it was Chavit. Chavit was trailing behind the senatorial surveys, so this act of heroism or pagiging EPAL, will may boost his polls. He took a gamble and he won. It was a sight when Chavit was holding the grenades.The scene was tense because it may explode anytime. Some speculated that the drama has a political angle. Some say it was sincere help, no strings attached.

Like a Tagalog action movie, it all ended well. There was your disgruntled underdog of the masa who took his plight and made radical actions to resolve it. There was a musical number, when the hostage stricken children in unison cheered JUN DUCAT. There was your melodrama dialogues between Bong Revilla and Jun Ducat. There was mushy-feel-good-feeling scene when the children kissed Jun Ducat goodbye. There was your climatic scene of Chavit holding the grenades. And the police, ah yes them. The police in tagalog action movies who came late and missed all the action. The same police when the situation was controlled and resolved by mere civilians was just in time to arrest the goons. The same police we have today.

What a show it was!