I suspect that I have paranoid personality disorder. Ever since I got held up by six men while riding a jeepney, I resolved to either take the seat beside the driver or alight whenever someone suspicious looking rides the jeep. I also acquired the habit of slipping in my pocket an hold up-proof old phone that I accidentally dropped and stepped on while participating in a experiment that involved me doing jump ropes.
This must sound very prejudicial but I would often alight the jeepney when I ride with a guy (a) wearing dirty clothes (b) who has quite a wide collection of missing teeth, (c) has tattoos all over the body (d) wearing classic gothic all-black ensemble with skull necklaces, or (d) sits too comfortably in the jeep. Sitting “too comfortably” means that they sit in a slouching manner with their legs spread as wide as the equator with hardly any consideration for the other passengers. Forgive me for abandoning my self-proclaimed advocacy of being pro-poor but when safety is threatened, the latter is still my priority. Hold ups are forced charity; there is no charity that is forced.
Suspicious looking people tend to exacerbate a paranoid’s episodes of panic – most commonly manifested as dyspnea, tachycardia, and restlessness - thus one needs to avoid looking like a hold uper when riding public transportation, the consequences can be life threatening. This effort shall be rooted out of consideration for other passengers who were forced to alight yet do not have spare money for riding another jeep just because you scared their wits off.
Weeks ago my group mates and I rode a jeep going to the Philippine Orthopedic Center. While the jeep still trudging along Quezon Avenue, one of my groupmates called for the jeep to stop. Thinking that they must’ve mistaken Araneta Ave. for Banawe, I told them, “Ba’t bumababa na kayo? Malayo pa to [sa Banawe]”. Two girls from our group insisted, “Hindi, dito na tayo. Tara na.” But since they all seem to agree that this is the right place, I followed their lead and also alighted from the jeep. Once we were all settled in the sidewalk, they told me that the two men beside looked suspicious enough for my group mates to decide among themselves that we better alight. “How will I know what you were talking about? I was busy listening to Bruno Mars than notice other passengers that time”, I told them.
They must be more paranoid than I am.
And oh, In the spirit of avoiding being held up, I found a new habit: Listening to what Zenaida Seva have to say about my upcoming day and then mouth her words in the same phrasing with the same facial expression as hers, “Hindi hawak ng mga bitwin ang kapalaran natin, gabay lamang sila. Meron tayong free will gamiting natin ito.”
I have never experienced being held up, I just wish I won't ever. This is not to aggravate your paranoia, but I hear warnings from others that not all with evil motives look suspicious. Some are even decent looking and sometimes are women.
ReplyDeleteoverheard a conversation recently... meron daw holdapers sa mga bus who wear long sleeves and slacks.
ReplyDeletescary world. be careful.
haha. during my first few years in manila, i did the exact same thing. pero mas rigid naman ang standards ko in determining who the hold-uppers were. as in, nauubos ang barya ko sa kakalipat ng jeep. hehe.
ReplyDeleteprobinsyano kasi. :)
at least you look at it as crime and not mental illness, that form of containment is really an anti-poor way of (not) understanding the poor.
ReplyDeletekapag youre in a jeep dapat kahit pagsosoundtrip hindi mo ginagawa, alert ka dapat, sa panahon pa ngayon kahit ang kasakay mo sa jip mga mukhang malilinis, sila pa may masamang intensiyon. alerto lang dpat..
ReplyDeletebe vigilant at dapat observant ka sa mga nasa jeep. mhirap n mholdap o mnakawan
ReplyDelete@xall - the experience is very traumatizing. Ung mga naexperience ko kasi mukha tlgang holdaper, ngayon pala iba iba na rin mga disguises nila.
ReplyDelete@odinhood - oh my. sosyal na pala sila ngayon, and that's coming from the a sociologist na ah.
@claudiopoi- siguro nga pag probinsyado medjo mas paranoid no?haha
@mark - eh pag hinold up ka naman kahit di ka nagsasound trip, basta tinutukan ka ibibigay mo parn eh.
@khantotantra - i am. kaya super tiger look ako sa jeep eh.haha
@line of light - of course, I don't really equate being poor with being a criminal. My sympathies always go for the poor.
ReplyDeleteNaku super sounds pa naman ako sa jeep at lagi akong nakatingin sa labas ng bintana sa malayo kasi nageemote ako, hindi ko napapansin yung mga katabi ko kung mukhang goons or what. I'll take this is a lesson hehehe.
ReplyDelete