Rhelyn Harder
- They encountered undocumented foreigners who were violating laws that cause trouble in the Philippines
- They apologized for the accident and for not having any document to present as they asked for a settlement
- Filipinos should not tolerate them and they must take responsibility for their actions.
Legal documents are required for a foreigner to visit other countries. Without these documents, they are considered illegal and punishable by law.
A Facebook user, Chona Sebastian, had encountered undocumented foreigners who are violating laws that cause trouble in the Philippines. She was aiming to give awareness about this matter which made her post it on her account.
At the corner of Buendia and South Super Highway, their car was hit by a white Hyundai from the rear. To check the damage, their driver named Meant Sammy was about to get out of the car when the other car had sped up and turned to Buendia.
They chased the car to get the plate number until it stopped and they discovered that the driver is a Chinese national who could not speak English or Filipino. The driver kept on showing his phone with Chinese character.
After a while, three Chinese men, a female Chinese interpreter and Filipino guy showed up and couldn’t present any of the documents such as driver’s license, car registration, passport, or any identification card.
They apologized for the accident and for not having any document to present. Until the interpreter ask for a “settlement” saying “Magkano ang husto mo?” she repeated it three times. She even offered them to get the car repaired in Binondo while the other Filipino guy was trying to negotiate with their driver.
While having their negotiations, they didn’t notice the Chinese driver had already left the scene without having a photo of the guy.
“Drivers must have a license and have their license with them when driving. Vehicles must be registered. Non-citizens must have their passports with them all the time. Kahit isang pangalan wala silang mabigay. Worst of all, the driver tried to run away.”
She called out to Filipinos about what had happened as it is not just a simple issue of repairing damages to the property because these non-citizens are lawbreakers. As Filipinos, they should not be tolerated and must take responsibility for their actions.
“Hindi ako nagbigay ng presyo dahil hindi nabibili ang prinsipyo. Batas ng Pilipinas ang issue. Pagkatapos ng mahabang pakiusapan nila, sinabi ko “Pilipino ako. May batas ang Pilipinas na dapat sinusunod. Hindi ako nababayaran.” Sabay talikod at alis. Yes, I was proud of myself for being able to say those words in public for at least once in my life.”
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156705983447851&set=a.76350932850&type=3&theater
Mang Sammy was asked to report it to the police and paid for the notarized copy of the incident. Then the police had told them “Sana nagbayad na lang kayo” which even dismayed her as she hoped that would be the last Filipino who would think to tolerate them.
She wanted to point out that Filipinos should be brave enough to fight for our rights as Filipino citizens.
“Huwag tayong duwag. Manindigan kung nasa tama. Hindi kailangan ng suntukan, murahan, o sigawan para labanan ang mali. Prinsipyo lang. Atin ang Pilipinas. Teritoryo natin ito. Sila ang dapat matakot sa mga Filipino.”
“HUWAG MAGPABILI, HUWAG MAGPA BULLY.”
