Manila Hostage Drama

MANILA, Philippines—This could be Armando "Jun" Ducat's happiest Christmas.

Ducat, owner of the Musmos Daycare Center in Tondo who held hostage for nearly 10 hours 26 children and two teachers on a bus parked near the Manila City Hall in March in 2007, was finally reunited with his family after spending one year and nine months in prison.

According to his lawyer Antonious Collado, Ducat, and his co-accused Caezar Augustus Carbonell, who were both charged with 26 counts of serious illegal detention at the Manila regional trial court, posted bail around 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Each posted P1.3-million bail (P50,000 for each count), Collado said, adding that Ducat sold and pawned many of his properties to be able to come up with the amount.

Ducat and Carbonelle's offense was non-bailable, but Collado said they recently filed a motion to grant bail on the ground that the evidence of the prosecution was weak.

"Judge Amelia Infante of the Manila RTC, who is handling the case, granted our petition last Monday. But the case continues," the lawyer said.

The next hearing of the case was set for Jan. 12.

Collado said that after posting bail, Ducat went straight to his house in Parañaque City where he will be spending Christmas with his family.

"He's very happy. Nakahabol pa sa Pasko (He got out in time for Christmas)," Collado said of Ducat.

In 2007, Ducat took the kids from his daycare center hostage and demanded that the government provide them with full scholarships until college, otherwise, their lives would be for naught.

Ducat later claimed that he never really had any intention of harming the kids but just wanted to send a message for their welfare in a most dramatic way he could think of.