Jeepney crimes

A September 24, 2010 Inquirer.net article about crime incidents involving commuters in Paranaque and Taguig came out. An excerpt:

   Police on Friday warned the public against crimes committed in the areas of Taguig and Parañaque, especially those carried out on commuters.

   The warning was issued following the arrest Thursday night of three suspects who were said to be victimizing jeepney passengers between the East Service Road in Parañaque City and SM Bicutan in Taguig City.

Isn't it too early for these kinds of crimes to be rampant? If I remember it right, these crimes should reach its peak in a month's time, in October or November, when people's wallets have their fill of their bonuses. For criminals, those months including December are their peak season, so they, too, can extravagantly enjoy the birth of our merciful Lord and Savior.

In reality, there isn't much that poor commuters can do when they are faced with gun-pointing devils whose purpose is to get their hard-earned money by use of either force or fear. I hear stories that jeepney-riding criminals indiscriminately take bags, wallets, cellphones and jewelry from passengers; they do this quickly. To prevent further harm, police advise not to fight back and to just give in to the criminals' demands. The whole of the 13th-Month Salary just for the robbers? No way! Something can be done.

One good money advise I learned is never to bring big amounts of money. I don't get to do this since I never get to hold big amounts of money, unless you consider a teacher's salary big. When I get my salary, I only withdraw small amounts or transfer the whole amount to another account. These transactions I do in secured locations like banks and malls. How about in the absence of banks? How do you carry money when you are in transit?

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I hear the most inventive ways to carry money. People particularly from the province who come to the big city bringing with them loads of cash in their person and market vendors after spending the day from work do any of the following:

1. They stick money inside their underwear specifically inside the bras of women. It is always amusing to see them pay the fare as they get the money from their bra!
2. They fold paper bills nicely and place them inside their shoes. One-hundred pesos worth of coins will simply not work here. Caps may also be used.
3. They use unconventional money containers such as plastic shopping bags and handkerchiefs.

For people carrying luggage, they have what it takes for them to be good smugglers, drug couriers and customs tax evaders! They surely know how to hide stuff! Known and unknown hiding places are among the underwear, inside document envelopes and books, and inside small unassuming pouches and small hidden pockets of the luggage.

Despite the precautions commuters take, there is always an existing threat coming from these bad elements. I would really like to think that with our vigilance and the police's response, all the criminals will be stamped out soon. But, of course, you perfectly know that this is just my wishful thinking.

Crime Seen

The driver turned off his engine; he finally gave up. The FX was not to move in the next five minutes or so. Passengers were anxious of what was going on; some were fanning themselves; others were trying to see the cause of the traffic. One lady looked very impatient, pissed. Her long face, however, got shorter when the FX moved a measly two meters. There was hope. The next twenty meters took ten minutes. Slowly, they saw the cause of the problem. An accident. Heads turned to see the wreckage. As the FX was maneuvering into the small space left for moving vehicles, the passengers, particularly the males transformed from being irritated passengers into crime scene investigators. " Kasalanan ng pula," referring to the smashed car said one. "Siguradong patay yan," concluded one person. "Nakainom 'yan, " added another. It was interesting to note how these people spoke with authority and certainty in spite of the less-than-minute view of the scene. Some tried to take a second look eventhough the FX was meters away.

Two minutes  after seeing the mishap, the passengers cease their CSI persona to return to their passenger roles. I, instead, would like to pray and thank God that it wasn't me nor my loved-ones whom my co-passengers were pronouncing dead. Amen.