Students held hostage on bus by gunmen

Gunmen were today holding a busload of day-care students and teachers hostage in the Philippines, demanding better housing and education for the children.

Hostage-takers scribbled on a sheet of paper, taped to the bus windshield, that they were holding 32 children and two teachers and were armed with two grenades, an Uzi assault rifle police and a .45-calibre pistol, officer Mark Andal said.

They said they were demanding housing and education for 145 children in a day-care centre where the incident appeared to have begun.

“I love these kids; that’s why I am here,” one of the hostage-takers, identifying himself as Jun Ducat, told DZMM radio by cell phone. “We have a field trip. I invited the children for a field trip.

“In case I need to shed blood, I will not be the first to fire. I am telling the policemen, have pity on these children.”

Police surrounded the bus near Manila’s city hall. TV footage showed the young children, one in sunglasses, waving from the windows, and a woman could be seen making a hand signal asking for a phone as one of the gunmen held a grenade at her shoulder.

Curtains on the bus were later pulled shut. It appeared to be a tourist bus being used for a field trip.

Ducat was involved in a previous hostage-taking with a priest, officials said.

A police officer, standing about 15 yards away, held up a cardboard sign offering a telephone land line as another officer held up the handset. A third officer used a bullhorn.

Ducat refused to take the phone, saying he was afraid it would explode.

Police Senior Superintendent Danilo Abarzosa said initial reports indicated that the men stormed the bus while fleeing police after a holdup.

“But it looks like that’s not correct. They were already inside the bus when it left” the day-care centre, Abarzosa said.