RedBlueThoughts

This is the bus where Filipino entrepreneur Jun Ducat is holding 32 students hostaged. As I write this, Ducat has just released a kid whom he said has fever. Negotiations already ended between a senator and Ducat. However, until now, aside from this incident,no significant signs of any other significant improvement has happened.

For those who don’t know police procedures on hostage taking, it is actually beneficial for police and hostage negotiators to prolong the situation. Why? In a hostage taking situation, authorities are always in the upperhand. The hostage taker has not enough resources to sustain it. He can only last until his resources dry up.  Based on the driver’s narration, before this incident, he was ordered by the hostage taker to go to a supermarket to buy groceries. So, Ducat is in for a long haul, probably, just within the day.

The question is—is Ducat waiting for a sign, a signal from Above? Or will he be an improvement of Villareal who died when he took an airport tower four years ago?

I say, let a hundred Juns rise up now!

Filipino entrepreneur Jun Ducat, along with two others, held 32 children hostage in Manila today. With assault rifles and a grenade, Ducat’s group reportedly commandeered a bus somewhere in Tondo Manila. He then stopped the bus infront of a monument of Filipino hero, Andres Bonifacio and demanded media attention.

Who’s Jun Ducat?

Based on radio reports, Jun Ducat is an entrepreneur who has a string of similar incidents before. Sometime in the late 1990’s, Jun reportedly held hostage a priest whom he accused of failing to pay him his contractor fees. Five or six years ago, he was the same guy who went atop the Rotonda Monument in Manila demanding government to help the poor. He also held a hunger strike at that time to dramatize his cause. Sadly though, media never bothered with him.

Other reports picture him as a conscientious guy who has a genuine heart for the poor. Activists and other members of people’s organisations say that Ducat founded the Musmos Daycare center, an organisation helping impoverished kids in the slums of Manila get education. Apparently, he’s a well-loved guy who helps poor folk in Manila and Cavite.

Reports also said that he founded a native crafts company which exports furnitures. That’s where he got his money to fund his activities. He also took part in the elections in Manila (3rd district) but lost to a veteran politician.

What’s clear, he has a history of activism. He’s also a labor leader in Cavite, as what the senator’s son describes him.

Some questions

Evidently, his caper is well-planned. Bus driver Deogracias Bugarin told mediamen that Ducat’s group is well-armed and well-prepared. Its a premeditated thing. Ducat admitted having invited the kids for a field trip in Tagaytay. Obviously, Ducat planned this very well.

And he’s succeeding. The world took notice of his cause. Global newspapers and the wires are covering this event. As we speak, Ducat has just released one of the kids. A senator, who’s Ducat’s compadre, is still negotiating for him to release all of the students.

Some thoughts on this:

• Ducat obviously, is a well-trained cadre. From where in the political spectrum, we obviously don’t know. Definitely, he’s not a member of the CPP-NPA-NDF, though its surprising why he decided to do this in the eve of the NPA’s 39th year anniversary. He’s really a professional.
• From where he decided to do this betrays yet again his cadre roots. Look at how he positions the bus right infront of the monument of Andres Bonifacio. We all know that Bonifacio is a plebian hero. Notice where he got the bus from—Tondo Manila. Tondo is where Bonifacio was born and where all the poor masses who staged the May 1 2002 revolt came from. What’s ironic though, he decided to hostage the very kids of the masses whom he’s supposed to protect (it could have been different if he did it in a busload full of the elite’s kids)
• Look at the timing. This incident happened today, 28 March 2007, a day before the start of campaigns for local posts. its 3-10 (2+8) - 9(2+7). And the incident was reported to have started around 9am. Anything relevant? 9 is divisible by 3, while ten is divisible by 2. Is 1 just around the corner?What about zero?
• Take note of what he said when he was being interviewed by media. Its full of political-speak. He’s an intellectual. He knows what he’s doing that makes him extremely dangerous.
• More on this in a while….

A sword of Damocles hangs above the head of Mrs. Arroyo. This early, the international community has created a big issue against her administration. Philip Alston, the UN rapporteur for extrajudicial killings, is submitting his report before the UN General Assembly. Another important international personality, Nobel peace prize winner Desmund Tutu recently issued a very disturbing and strong condemnation of the Arroyo administration. Tutu said that he feels disturbed by the use of the anti-terror law to “marginalize” and kill the political opposition. International condemnation against Arroyo is snowballing, reminding me of the time before Marcos’ fall.

What is happening, I think, is that the US is slowly realizing that Arroyo is more of a liability than an asset. Yes, she’s a lapdog. Yes, she’s willing to trade anything, even the kitchen sink to the Americans just to stay in power. However, under the Arroyo regime though, more and more people are turning into rebels and potential terrorists because of her inhumane treatment of her citizens. Quite frankly, Uncle Sam is deathly afraid for two reasons: One, under this regime, the “enemies of democracy” so to speak, is turning mainstream. Two, the inability of the administration to prevent the transformation of the country into a veritable terrorist training ground is affecting regional security.

So, the US and her allies are looking for alternatives. They are entertaining the thought of (a) GMA through constitutional means and if this fails, (b) creating the conditions for the setting up of a military regime. All of these options depend on what will happen in this elections. Should there be a failure of the elections, the military will step in. Should there be a failure of the GMA administration to get critical support from the masses through this elections, then, an internal coup will happen. Any which way, there is a Grand Design being implemented right now. And its getting serious.

Understanding recent Philippine news reveals the following:

1. There is a silent effort or campaign to undermine  the Executive department.

2. There is a current effort or campaign to reconsolidate forces in the Right.

3. Attacks against the Left are part of the overall strategy to effectively isolate the enemies of the State for possible violent internal coup.

4. International support for the Arroyo administration is weakening. There are reasons for this and possibly, it is due to current business interests in the country.

5. Business groups are waging an internal campaign to isolate the Arroyo administration.

These events are happening to weaken the enemies of the state and prepare the country for a possible martial law situation.