THE 31 schoolchildren held hostage by Armando Ducat Jr. on Wednesday were made to believe that their 10-hour ordeal was just a game with him as their friend and protector and the policemen as bad guys who might hurt them.

"Natakot kami kahapon dahil baka sumabog yung bomba – at baka lusubin kami ng mga kalaban (referring to policemen) ni Mr. Ducat," six-year old Kris, said.

"Mabait siya," she said of Ducat.

Elvira, Kris’ guardian, said the girl told her that all the children were happy inside the bus as they played the whole day.

Jane, whose six-year-old son Jerome was among the hostages, said she suffered from tension but she bears no grudge against Ducat.

She said the parents have no intention of filing charges against Ducat.

The schoolchildren, their parents and teachers were met by President Arroyo and Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral in Malacañang yesterday afternoon.

The original plan was for Arroyo to visit them in their community at Parola in Tondo.

Cabral said the children were brought to the Palace because they were already invited to the Manila City Hall.

She said children were discharged from the Ospital ng Maynila after midnight of Wednesday.

She said three children were brought back to the hospital yesterday because they developed fever.

"They were very crowded and then when they left, you can see how dirty the bus was. So perhaps they contracted some viral infection," she said.

Cabral said the children did not exhibit any traumatic behavior. She said they might have been bewildered by all the attention but they somehow accepted simple explanations.

As they waited for President Arroyo at the Heroes’ Hall, the children sat on throw pillows scattered on the carpet.

Some wore shirts with the logo of the Musmos Day Care Center in front and the words "Jun Ducat, Tulong Sulong" at the back.

Angel, 6, had the same shirt and wore a cap that read "Arroyo for President," a relic of the 2004 elections.

When she arrived, Arroyo told the parents: "Mga magulang, congratulations."

She sat on one of the pillows and tried to talk to the children about their ordeal.

"Masaya ba kahapon? Exciting?" she asked, "Ah, maraming pagkain."

One kid said their supposed field trip was "naharang," making Arroyo laugh.

"Maraming pictures, ano?" she told the kids, referring to the cameras clicking away beside them.

She playfully asked a girl named Angelica Arroyo, "Mag kamag-anak ba tayo?"

Upon learning that a few kids had a cough and were not feeling well, she called for the Palace in-house doctor.

She told the children that Cabral is also a doctor.

"Pero hindi ako nag-i-injection," Cabral said.

The children were treated to merienda consisting of spaghetti, hotdog, French fries, mini-sandwiches, spring rolls, chicken, fried siomai, suman, butterscotch bars and juice drinks.

Arroyo showed them around the compound. She gifted them with school supplies and bags of chips.

The children returned to Parola on an air-conditioned bus of the Office of the President.

Cabral said Vice President Noli de Castro would oversee the housing needs of the residents of Parola.

She said government will no longer give educational assistance to the 145 Parola students because they already received a lot of pledges.

Cabral said government will not try to convince the parents to file cases against Ducat because there are enough charges to keep him in jail. – Regina Bengco