ES2PIDO|Estudyanteng Pinoy Dormitorian

March 28, 2007, I had my eyes and ears stuck nearly permanently on the TV screen (I didn’t know how to until lately) when a flash report came in. Thirty two preschoolers and four teachers were in a hostage of, surprisingly, the owner of their school, Mr. Jun Ducat.

At first I thought, was he mentally disturbed? Another public show of republic disgrace to the unjust abuses of the high class? And oh, another hostage after the tragic forgettable other?

Perhaps I would nod on that. It was a play production of someone who might have been desperado in providing for other people.

The hostage drama was no like other. The bus venue was ingenious. The children being held captive was superb. The no-choice-but-to-cry-a-river teachers were slightly antagonistic. But it was not the innocence of the children nor the weeping of their parents or the career moves of our dirty policemen. But the motive, the demands,

Freer education and decent shelter for their families…

A whopping standing ovation.

The hostage drama was a jawdropper for me. It broke out the culture in me that most of our hostage takings here in the Philippines would be another personal distress similar to stereotypical Filipino action movies-personal redemption of honor, vengeance for being minisculed, money of some sorts, or simply foreplaying. As far as I know, hostage taking is more of personal reception.

But this time, he demands the benefits not for Ducat himself, but for the kids he staged as threat to be demised.

Why would a person, an apparently altruistic one such as Ducat, resort to a desperate move that would endanger his students, his employed faculty, and others within the premise of the scenario for ‘education and shelter’?

It’s because he knows that it would take 48 years or more for Malacanang to grant their promises.

Armando “Jun” Ducat Jr., as far as I know, built a school (ie. Day Care Center) using his own money. He provided appropriate school amenities using his own money. He spends thousands of pesos for the salary of his teachers using his own money. He buys clothes, school supplies, and other facilities and equipment for such small scale academic institution using his money. Later did I know that he has just undergone angioplasty so he might have run out of funds to suffice his future personal and interpersonal expenditures.

But it is definitely wrong. I cannot tolerate his courageous act of having these innocent kids to be traumatized by such criminal act.

However, I changed my mind since Ducat does not want to kill the children, successful or not, in the first place.

No one in this country would dare puts himself in critical condition. Not even Mme. President nor Lito Atienza himself would showcase bravery and justice for those who’ve been deprived by what they should’ve been provided with for the past few years. Never.

Yes, it was a wrongful act of illegally apprehending innocent civilians to be under captivity and threat of annihilation.

But for those who consider that in this country people can only achieve the impossible by doing the impossible, I would not effort to ponder and waste so much calories in thinking and clasping my fingers. Is that what Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Lito Atienza call as ‘justice’? Or plain arrogance because some low profile Ducat blemished this blemishable country the Philippines?

Compare it to our present administration and its cohoots in the military and police, at least he did wrong for his instigation of righteousness. Not pretentiously doing right for the promotion of civil abuse and human rights violations.

——

Even if Ducat is in prison, he was successful.

1. AMA promised to provide scholarships for all the kids, from elementary to college.

2. Parents of the former captives would praise him for his courageous act and would never care about what he did to their children.

3. DSWD and DOLE finally paved their negligent arses to the slum areas of Tondo to check the conditions of the families–to provide health and economic assistance (in short, employment).

4. Took attention of foreign press for his deed.

5. Slapped Arroyo et al on their faces for their micro societal negligence.

Pathetic it was when I heard one of Arroyo’s proctors in the field trip of the 26 captives in Malacañang saying that ‘they were doing such not because of Ducat but because of their eager agencies to provide services for those who need it’.

Sinong niloko niyo?

———

Politicking always finds a place to bug out of the blue, even at the harshest times.

Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. was there pala in the hostage crisis, my boobtube screamed at me. I thought there would be shrills of titillation but no. I was just disgusted. I thought I would be frustrated for not seeing Bong in his red-caped yellowish polyester fitted costume with a spanking big CB print/embroidery on his chest. Seizing the day, huh?

Ducat never called his attention, nor any celebrity in the world. The police would never/should never call his attention unless it is of dire need that a handsome yet potbellied action star turned politico is summoned by the hostage taker et al. But he managed to put up a show that Captain Barbell has just saved a feverish kid which in fact has just been lifted 2 meters from the bus doorstep and carried to a ’supposedly the proper authorized personnel’.

And then Chavit entered the scene when darkness crawled the venue. I was just confused. Ducat was calling for aide to provide children and their families because of government deprivation. Government deprivation is resulted from graft corruption. Chavit Singson looks like a corrupt. So why bother?

Singson was obviously a juggling jester who pretended to possess still his police prowess and saved the day by escorting Ducat outside to detention, held the no-boomer grenade and gun, waved his hands with his ugly-looking yellow lens filtered spectacles, and made kembot that he was invincible for 5 minutes. And the policemen allowed it.

Now that’s what we call ‘obvious politicking’.

—————-

In spite of my preparation to attend the formal/semi formal/pretending to be formal for good time’s sake Philippine Blog Awards night, I wasn’t able to collect money from you blog readers and friends whom I thought would sympathize to my poverty.. shoo! my mom for the transpo. Mom did have enough money, but huhuhuhu… Kuya Prince had no allowance for his hospital duty. Huhuhuhuhu..

Huhuhuhuu…. Nah, why attend? I know I will not win. The raffle? Nah, even if I win, some blogger might block me at the exit, maul me to paralysis and then steal my little iPodee from my shack. Sourgraping.

Boo. I envy you guys.

College Degrees Without Study! 100% legal and WDLC accredited. No coursework, graduate in 10 days.