KM Viray
Netizen George Reyes posted on the Facebook group page BINAN TODAY a warning to the public, especially to those living in or going to Biñan City, Laguna.
A new modus operandi conducted by a group of men targets passengers and commuters. Reyes specially mentioned the national highway where jeepneys travel.
Reyes shared his experience on his way to Olivarez Plaza Biñan with his child. He said a group of five to six men in their 30s to 40s rode the jeep and made the other passengers move nearer to the driver.
Reyes suddenly noticed a fellow woman passenger say, “Ayan na naman. [There they go again.]” Reyes noticed the alarm and fear in the woman’s face. Before the jeepney even started moving, the passengers already went down the vehicle. Reyes followed suit for fear that they could be held up. One of the men from the group even asked them why they all went down.
The woman who initially reacted confirmed that she had already experienced a holdup in a similar situation with the same group of men.
Similarly, another netizen Vivencio Toledo commented on the post sharing his close encounters with the group.
The first incident happened in March 2015 en route from Robinson’s Place Sta. Rosa City to Biñan. Seven men rode the jeepney he was in and each one brought a backpack apparently to hide their actions. They all rode at the same place in Caltex gas station, but sat in different parts of jeepney. Their modus was to sit on both sides of their target victim. The other men would cause a commotion to distract the passengers.
Toledo himself was sandwiched between two of the men at the time. One of the men even went to his left side upon feeling his wallet there. He even complained loudly that his wallet was poking his side. When Toledo felt the man groping for it, he said his wallet and phone were there. The man sitting in front of Toledo suddenly said, “Sumisigaw ka, tatay? [Are you shouting, sir?]”
Another cautioned Toledo saying, “Tatay, wag ka ng sumigaw kasi bago lang yan labas sa munti. [Sir, don’t shout at that guy (on Toledo’s left) because he was just released from Munti (New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa)].” In fear, Toledo just kept quiet.
The men went down by the highway when they saw a Biñan police car. The other passengers soon found out that some of them had their wallets and phones stolen. The driver, he said, was already suspecting something was up and was ready to defend himself at the time.
Toledo also shared his second encounter with the group while he was making his way from Alabang in June 2015. He thought he had ridden the jeepney that went via expressway route, but instead they went through the old national highway.
Seven men rode in front of Muntinlupa City Hall, but this time they had a boy around seven years-old with them. Toledo described the men as clean-cut and properly dressed. Again, they all carried backpacks.
They did the same modus, except this time they had the child drop coins to distract the passengers. They even pretended they did not know each other and kept switching seats. Even though Toledo was already wary of their actions, he wasn’t lucky this time around as the next thing he knew, one of the men already had his wallet. When Toledo pointed it out, the man said, “Tatay sa’yo pala ito eh nalaglag eh napulot ko. [Sir, this is yours. It fell so I picked it up].”
Toledo felt the most pity for another passenger, an old man who was on his way to send P10,000 to his children. When the old man noticed his wallet missing, one of the men had the nerve to say. “Tatay segurado na yon babae na bumaba sa may SM City tunasan ang dumukot sa’yo. [Sir, I’m sure the woman who went down at SM City Tunasan was the one who stole your wallet.]” Toledo also pitied the woman about to be accused for a crime she knew nothing about. The old man immediately went down to go back to SM City Tunasan.
The moment he got off the jeepney, the man sitting beside the old man brought out the money and counted it for everyone to see. The group got off in Muntinlupa City and San Pedro, Laguna’s boundary. That was when Toledo realized he also lost P300. Toledo was amazed at how slick the men were.
Other netizens also relayed their experiences all involving the five to seven men, all of whom were always dressed properly. Sometimes, they would get on the jeepney at different spots. But in the end, their goal is to rob unknowing passengers.
Reyes’s and Toledo’s cases are just a few that were shared and have been reported. Netizens hope that commuting in Biñan can be made safer and that through spreading the word, the public can be more aware and protect themselves.
Banner photo from humbadiaries.com
