I’m a resident of Manila for 31 years now and my experiences as a commuter varies from one ugly encounter to the other. These experiences could be enough reasons to change location to a more friendly and comfortable zone considering that I am not at all born and raised here. For one reason or another, I stick it here, trading it to a more comfortable life in the south where I grew up.
In my years in this city, I tried varied transport this metropolis offers. LRT, bus, jeepney, etc. Each experience has its sad story to tell. For instance, my regular ride of my after-office Wednesday devotion in a Baclaran church in the ‘80s was the LRT. Every ride is a chaotic experience wherein I had to huddle to get a minute space to be in a rush hour as this. I remember an instance wherein in the thick of things, I did able to squeeze in as the door closed but my shoulder bag did not. The handle was in my shoulder while the bag was tucked outside. Such a silly scene until the train halted in the next station. Riding in an LRT on a rush hour and on a rush day is as horrible as horrible can be. Here you are, all made up as you get inside only to be messed up upon you alight from the jam-packed train.
Commuting on a jeepney is another story altogether. Bag slashers, hold uppers, snatchers are typical here depending on the route. Bag slashers abound along Taft Avenue any time of the day. I have experienced my bag being slashed in two successive days in a row, the third day I saw the slasher doing it to another passenger as I watched in silence. In the next succeeding days, the scene became a normal sight already. It occurred to me that these people are actually doing this on a daily basis as their means of livelihood. People with decent jobs wake up early, leave their homes; ride in a jeep to bring them to work. Criminals are no different. They too wake up early, leave their homes and go to work earning by taking other people’s money.
Snatchers on the other hand abound along Aurora Boulevard in Cubao and work in twos. They work outside the vehicle while the jeep halts during a red light. One partner checks on the other side of the jeep to see which passenger wears a necklace and signals the other for the possible victim, the latter makes the necessary action from the back of the passenger.
Holduppers, on the other hand, work in fours and if one was a victim of the crime already like me, it’s easier for me to spot them once they appear in disguise. If you happen to see clean-looking foursome males entering a jeep for a ride with you among the passengers with one finds a seat at the rear side, two in the middle and another at the back of the driver, beware. Chances are they are the same breed of people who hold us up during a jeepney ride from Cubao to Cainta. And because one goes home from a day’s work and thus, sleepy and tired, you will be jolted by a shout of a hold-up and the sight of guns. Then, they would order everyone to put the wallets and jewelries to a bag which they circulate around the passengers. Then off went our treasures.
Another commuter’s dilemma is the thieves who work in twos disguising as passengers in a jeepney. One sits beside his victim, the other in front of him to keep watch. You will just realize there was a victim when these two suddenly ordered the driver to halt and off they went in a hurry. I have been a victim of this incident twice. Same route, same hour of the day, same criminal.
On a bus on my way to work one day, I put on my Rayban sunglasses and fell half asleep and I was in that position where my head tilted to the window of the unairconditioned bus. Suddenly, I was jolted by a hand grabbing my shades from outside and saw a riding tandem in a motorcycle, one driving it, the other holding what my sunglasses.
As far as being a victim of stealing crime inside a public transport as a commuter, I think I am a pro.
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