MANILA, Philippines - The hostage-taking in Luneta, Manila is reminiscent of a similar incident that hogged the headlines more than 3 years ago.

At 9 a.m. of March 28, 2007, Manila cops found themselves facing a hostage crisis.

Armed with grenades and an Uzi, 56-year-old civil engineer Armando `Jun' Ducat and an accomplice, Cesar Carbonell, took 26 day-care students and 4 teachers hostage.

Ducat, the owner of the Musmos Daycare Center, where the children had been enrolled, demanded the government to provide free education to all the daycare students and housing for the children's families in Parola compound in Tondo, Manila.

The hostage crisis ended at a little past 7 p.m. following day-long negotiations with police and even some lawmakers.

After the incident, Ducat and Carbonell were slapped with 27 counts of serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms and explosives for the hostage crisis, all non-bailable offenses.

Many experts noted a number of lapses in the course of resolving the hostage crisis.

There was the question of safety as the public and media were allowed near the bus, and confusion on who was controlling the situation.