Ducat charged with 26 counts of child abuse

Apart from charges of serious illegal detention and violation of the Commission on Elections gun ban, additional charges of 26 counts of child abuse were filed against hostage taker Armando Ducat Jr. and his accomplice, Cesar Augustus Carbonell, yesterday at the Manila prosecutor’s office.

The additional charges were filed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Manila office represented by Celerina Sangil.

As this developed, some 50 children of the Musmos Day Care Center, accompanied by their parents and two teachers, held a picket in front of the Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters to demand the unconditional release of Ducat. Ducat owns the Musmos Day Care Center in Parola, Tondo where he gave free kindergarten education, including uniforms and school supplies, to the poor children of the depressed area.

Carrying placards which read "Palayain si Jun Ducat," the children also chanted the same words while their parents stayed by their side. The children wore their school uniform with the motto "Jun Ducat, tulong sulong" printed at the back of their shirts.

Buboy Albano, father of one of the children, said it was the children’s decision to go to the MPD headquarters where Ducat and Carbonell are detained.

The parents are worried that their children may not be able to study anymore at the Musmos Day Care Center following its closure after the arrest of Ducat.

The parents said they brought their own biscuits and water without assistance from anybody. "We are doing this voluntarily. We are doing this picket as a show of gratitude to Sir Ducat. We will not allow his continued detention. He is the only one who helps us," one parent said.

The parents plan to picket the MPD everyday until Ducat is released. When told that Ducat is facing multiple charges as a result of his taking the 26 children hostage, the parents said he has not done anything illegal.

"He needs to involve the children so the government will listen to him. If he will just talk in the middle of the street alone nobody will listen to him," another parent added.

The children, who do not show any emotional or physical injury as a result of the hostage incident, said they miss Ducat. "We want to visit Sir Jun (Ducat). We want to know his condition."

The children also pleaded with MPD authorities to allow them to visit Ducat in his cell. However, MPD officials refused their request for security reasons.

Ducat filed through his lawyer a waiver of detention after he was charged with serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms and explosives in relation to the Omnibus Election Code Gun Ban at the Manila prosecutor office.

Sources said the filing of waiver of detention is meant to buy time for Ducat to ask the parents of the 26 hostage children to issue certifications of desistance.

The two teachers who accompanied the children revealed that the residents of Parola had already gathered some 3,000 signatures in support of Ducat.

The children and their parents peacefully left the MPD past 5 p.m. but vowed to return.

Meanwhile, a certification from the Firearms and Explosives Division of the Philippine National Police showed Ducat is a licensed/registered firearm holder of "one pistol, Aaarius, caliber 9mm with serial number SA56916 issued/approved on October 20, 2005 with expiry date June 10, 2007." The certification was signed by Superintendent Danilo Maligalig, chief of the PNP Records Section. – With Evelyn Macairan