That hostage-taking drama last Wednesday had only 3 elements to it: senseless, stunned and stupid.

Senseless was the act of Armando “Jun” Ducat when he took hostage a busload of children and teachers of his own day-care center. He demanded no ransom and only used this terror-tactic to air his grievances about government corruption and the lack of education for children. He never took into account, of course, the very real possibility that he may have permanently traumatized some if not all of those kids.

Apparently Ducat has a history of making publicity stunts to air out his grievances. Obviously, the guy needs to be in a mental institution, not in prison.

Stunned were the police. They simply didn’t know what to do except blockade the area where the drama was taking place. Neither could they stopped two politicos from using the highly dangerous situation to act like heroes.

Fortunately, the police were too stunned even to resort to what they usually resort to when they don’t know what to do: charge in with guns blazing regardless of whether bullets would hit victimizers or victims. Perhaps the thought of mostly children being the victims scratched their otherwise itchy trigger fingers.

Stupid were the actions of Bong Revilla and Chavit Singson. They could have endangered further the lives of the children by insisting on talking to the hostage-takers. But the police allowed them to because they didn’t know what else to do. Stupid also is the thought that Ducat was doing a noble thing. There is nothing noble as terror even if the end justified the means, which is what terrorists actually believe, that the end will always justify the means.

Like I said, Ducat needs to be placed in a mental institution and for the rest of his life. Perhaps he should be joined by the police chief, Revilla and Singson.

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