New Delhi: A busload of more than 30 preschool children and their teachers have been released after being held hostage by gunmen for over eight hours in Manila on Wednesday.
Clutching dolls and backpacks, the children began filing off the bus shortly after 1900 hours IST, after Jun Ducat, the hostage taker, was allowed to air a long, rambling message on a loudspeaker.
Ducat, a 56-year-old civil engineer, who has staged other attention-grabbing stunts in the past, then put the pin back in a grenade, handed it to a provincial governor and surrendered.
Ducat had taken the pre-schoolers and teachers hostage on a bus, as they headed on a field trip in Manila on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The hostage-taker was taken into custody as soon as the children were released and criminal charges were filed against him.
Ducat used the opportunity to criticise the nation's political system, accusing it of graft and corruption and telling Filipinos not to depend on their politicians.
Earlier on Wednesday, a local politician, Senator Ramon Revilla, had entered the bus to conduct direct negotiations.
A child was later taken off the bus, after he complained of feeling unwell.
“I accept that I should be jailed because what I did was against the law,” Ducat said in an interview to the Associated Press shortly before the standoff ended.
White candles had been lit, in accordance with Ducat's request, and placed in yellow cups lined up under the yellow police tape used to cordon off the area.
Police and other officials also held candles outside the bus, as did people in the crowd that went to watch the incident unfold.
(With inputs from AP)
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