Rebel soldiers and their supporters who have taken the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City finally gave up ending almost seven hours of standoff that caused tensions in the financial capital of the Philippines. It was 5:20 this afternoon (Nov. 29, 2007) when rebel soldiers and their supporters from civil society, a bishop, a priest and their legal team decided to leave the hotel after government troops forced their way in by using APC or armored personnel carrier and destroyed the main entrance of the hotel. It was overkill. Bullets and tear gas were fired inside the hotel. All personalities involved and all media people both foreign and local were taken into custody. They were handcuffed and were driven to the National Capital Region Police Office in Taguig City. The government defended their action saying that all the people inside the hotel including the media men are subject for investigation. Some video cameras and other equipments were confiscated by the arresting troops. A curfew was also handed down by the authorities in Metro Manila, Southern and Central Luzon, from 12 midnight to 5 am tomorrow morning. As of this writing, the investigation is ongoing and might as well include members of the press to be charge, as one of the police official have said, all are considered suspect.
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