I'd like to share a story of what happened to me last Monday, October 6, which
appears to be a modus operandi done by people with criminal intentions.
My purpose for sharing this with you is to forewarn you of such incidents so
that you may keep yourselves safe.
At about a quarter to 7 in the evening, last Monday, I left the office and
walked out of Tektite building towards San Miguel Avenue , Ortigas, to ride a
cab. It was just right after a brief drizzle, so the roads were almost empty of
cars and people, although it was still a bit early. I'm accustomed to going
home by myself if I feel like it, and riding cabs without any problems for the
longest time.
I was walking along Exchange Road in front of our building, and have already
crossed Pearl Drive , when I saw a cab slowly cruising along Exchange Road from
San Miguel Avenue . It was an old, a bit dilapidated, white (seemingly) Toyota
Corolla, with a yellow-lighted "taxi" on the roof, with black scrawl of the
taxi's "name" on the side (I didn't notice the name written there). It didn't
have any passengers on board and I thought it a bit odd that a passenger- les s
cab would be coming from San Miguel Avenue towards Tektite at a time when taxis
are supposedly full. I was more accustomed to seeing taxis with no passengers
coming from Pearl Drive towards Tektite on its way out back towards EDSA or in
the oppposite direction of C-5. But it didn't quite get to me. I was tired and
needed to go home to rest. I just thought that the driver was trying to get
passengers.
I flagged down the slow moving taxi and got in. I said I was going towards
EDSA, so the cab went its usual familiar route of rounding the one-way Exchange
Road , out to San Miguel Avenue , left to Megamall, and right towards EDSA. I
normally would text Tony of the plate number of the taxi, but at that time, I
didn't. I normally would check the locks of the car doors, but this time, I
only locked the ones on the front and back passenger seats (right side, because
I saw that the left side door was locked). Everything was normal, except that
it was still going its slow pace. The driver was a slim-built, middle-aged man,
with balding head (some hairs on the side), wore a baseball cap and a worn-out
but decent white polo jacket.
Near the foot of the flyover towards Ortigas Avenue and EDSA, he requested me in
a kindly manner to please move to the other end of the passenger seat because
"ma-fla-flat na po yung gulong ko. Spare lang yan e." where I was sit tin g. I
was sit tin g at the right side of the passenger seat at the back, and promptly
moved to the left side. I was even able to converse with him, saying "a ganun
ba? Hindi ba delikado yun na tumatakbo tayo sa EDSA na pa-flat na gulong n'yo?"
"Hindi po, malapit lang naman po kayo, di ba? Kaya pa po yun," he smilingly
said. And, all along, we were slowly moving across the flyover at EDSA. After
the flyover, he slowly veered towards the inner side of the yellow lane, but I
thought it was because "inaalalayan niya yung sasakyan."
When the taxi crossed the gate of Corinthian Gardens , it further slowed down,
and I saw from afar two men seemingly wai tin g for a bus.. When the taxi neared
the two men, they gestured towards the taxi, and it suddenly dawned on me that
this could be a hold-up. I initially tried get tin g the lock of the door to my
side open, and was stricken by horror that it didn't budge. It seemed to be
jammed (or perhaps child-locked, on hindsight). And the horror of horrors
happened. The taxi stopped by the two men, and the driver announced, "'wag ka
gagawa ng iskandalo, hold-up 'to," and promptly opened the locked doors on the
right side doors of the front and back passenger seats. Everything went fast.
The two men briskly went in, one at the front passenger seat, the other beside
me on my right. I thought in horror "this can't be happening to me!" All I can
scream was "ay! ay! Diyos ko! Diyos ko!" The driver said to the two men, "wag
n'yong
sasaktan 'yan, mabait si ma'am." And, to me, "pera lang ang kailangan namin.
Hindi ka masasaktan kung susundin mo kami." One of the two men was also
middle-aged, slim-built, with balding hair. The other was younger, about in his
mid- to late-twenties, gaunt-looking, with high cheek bones, with a thick head
of hair. He struck me as someone who was taking drugs.
The next two hours were a g ruel ling ordeal. They rummaged through my bag and
got my money, ATM and credit cards, cellphones, and my jewelry, including my
wedding ring. They gave back my bag and wallet, though, but without the money
and the cards. We spent the hours going around EDSA from Kamuning to Quezon
Avenue , stopping at banks where one of the men went to the ATM machines to try
and get cash from my savings ATM and credit cards. They didn't let me out of
the taxi to do the transactions. While one man did the transactions at the
ATMs, the taxi kept going round and round the Kamuning and Quezon Avenue
u-turns. They took away my glasses so that I can't see where we're going. But I
was familiar with the places we passed - Timog Avenue , Agham Road , near the
Napocor area, and back again to EDSA to go to the ATMs for transactions. They
pressed me for the PIN of the credit cards, but I didn't memorize them, but gave
them some numbers that
I'm not even sure of.
Towards the end, they were pissed off because they couldn't get through the
credit cards, and I was afraid that they'd do me in. But, in the end, they let
me go, the driver warning me sternly, "wag kang lilingon sa kaliwa o kanan.
Dire-direcho lang, kung hindi, babarilin talaga kita." They gave a 100 peso
bill " pam asahe para makauwi." They dropped me off at Agham Road , near the
Philippine Children's Medical Center (formerly Lungsod ng Kabataan) at about
9:30 p.m. There was no one in sight, another light drizzle has already passed.
One of the men accompanied me out of the taxi, pushed me forward, and ran back
to the taxi. That's when I ran and ran towards Quezon Avenue until I boarded a
jeepney at a stop light. The kindly jeepney driver motioned me to a mobile
police patrol when we passed by one, and I finally came to the police precinct
at Kamuning EDSA to tell my tale. I didn't even get to see the taxi's plate
number.
They informed me there that that has been a modus operandi of these criminal
elements, plying the route of Quezon Avenue , Timog, Agham, even Kamuning
areas. They also would give some money for " pam asahe." They would say it's for
a sick wife, etc.
I have talked to some employees of a company in the Ortigas area who fell victim
to the same modus operandi. Same taxi, same description of the driver, same
alibi about a flat tire, reques tin g the passenger to move to the left side of
the passenger seat, where the door's lock is jammed. Same giving of the 100 peso
bill at the end of the hold-up. Last December, an employee rode the dubious taxi
at SM Megamall at about 9 p.m. and the hold-up was announced when some men
boarded the taxi at Star Mall. The person was held-up until 11 p.m. The other,
with the person's 6-year old child, boarded the taxi at the Robinson's Galleria
and was also held-up by men who went inside the taxi. I myself, boarded the
taxi near where I work, imagine that. And, the security guards were just a few
meters away.
Please be forewarned of this modus operandi. We're facing harder times, and
December is nearing. Take extra care, friends. As for me, I believe it was the
prayers that helped me. All throughout the ordeal, my Savior was there, guiding
me in what to say or do so as not to aggravate the situation until freedom
came. They didn't touch or harm me. Praise God!
