Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Alliance

I again witnessed a suspicion which I later on realized as a true crime.

I was on my way to the office this morning. I was riding on a bus and was seated on the 3rd row, very near the exit door. Midway the bus route, somewhere between Buendia and Quirino Avenue, a crowd seemed to be formed across the aisle where I was seated. A few passengers were about to alight the bus but somebody seemed to delay them just before the step down the exit door.

The bus stopped and waited for the passengers to alight. However, a few seconds had already passed but not even one passenger alighted from the bus. There was a man in front trying to pick-up something from the floor and would not move at all, while 2 other men at the latter part of the queue seem to be pushing and exchanging places, left and right. Two young students (from La Salle [?]---they were not wearing uniforms) were sandwiched in the middle and seemed to have a 'point of no return'. It happened for about a minute that these people lumped in the middle of the aisle. As I was watching the two men who kept on exchanging places, as I thought they need to alight the bus and positioned just opposite the aisle where I was seated. Suddenly talked, sat opposite each other---one beside me and the other on the opposite side of the aisle. This time, the man in front of the queue already went off the bus.

At first I was annoyed why these two men stood up but yet they were not going to get off the bus. Suddenly, one of the students who was sandwiched by the men attempted to go back to his seat, as if looking for something. He suddenly asked, "Nakita nyo po yung cellphone ko?" This time, the two men were already seated. The man seated on the opposite side answered, "Kinuha nung bumababa! Ayun o! (pointing at the man outside). Yung naka-blue. Habulin mo!" And so, the poor boy hurriedly get off the bus to chase the other student who was also in the middle of the men.

This time, I had a suspicion that the two men were also snatchers. They looked so concerned but I was really not comfortable with they acts a while ago, especially that one man was seated right beside me. I hugged my backpack so tight and tried to remember where I placed my mobile phone. After a few minutes, the two men alighted at Quirino Avenue. I then checked my mobile phone and it was still there in the pocket inside my bag.

After all the men went off, all the other passengers, the bus conductor and driver discussed and shared what they have experienced. They discussed where these men rode the bus, their strange acts, the poor La Salle student victims, etc. The bus driver kept o saying to the passengers, "dapat nung nakita nyo, sinabi nyo agad para ipaharang natin sa mga pulis!"

Now, I have confirmed it. There was really something fishy about what I have witnessed. There are lots of modus operandi happening. Is it really due to poverty? Nobody knows! There may be other deeper reason behind it!

Let's just always make sure that we always be carefule wherever we are---be it in public or private vehicles. Crimes are everywhere! Let's just be cautious and aware of our surroundings. And never, never show anything that could entice crimes as such!

-maron-
09july2009
12:43 hrs

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