Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Rob Story

It was Wednesday, around 12:30am. I was riding a jeepney, on my way home from work. As the jeep I was on approached N. Bacalso Avenue from Panganiban Street (that corner near the Cebu City Fire Station and the Cebu City Medical Center), I and my co-passengers witnessed what could have been a taxi robbery of some kind.

Mr. Man in Red, wearing a polo which looked like his duty uniform and most presumably the taxi driver, was spotted on the road yelling for help. I’m assuming that some guy from inside his taxi asked him to get off the vehicle just moments before, since he was still near the driver’s side door of the car. He seemed quite rattled and didn’t exactly know what to do.

The taxi was still stationary at this point, and the Man in Red attempted to stand in front of the taxi to prevent it from moving forward but almost immediately stepped out of its way. He probably realized he could just be ran-over with what he did, all the while staying close to the taxi.

Another man from the passenger seat then stepped out of the taxi. I didn’t notice him carrying any weapon; his right hand didn’t hold anything and his left hand was concealed by the open front passenger-side door. He made a move to approach the Man in Red. The Man in Red backed off, the Passenger Seat guy returned to the taxi, and the taxi sped off.

Mr. Man in Red was then able to flag down another taxi and went on to follow the other taxi. Both then turned right for a car chase at V. Rama Avenue. The jeep we were on continued on its route, and at Katipunan Street, where there was a checkpoint, we told the police of the incident, who said they’ll be radioing nearby police outposts and stations to be on the lookout. They asked for the plate number but it all happened too fast, none of us noticed (or it may be that nobody had the presence of mind to take note of it).

It may be that the Man in Red was robbed and all his hard work for that day will be for naught; or perhaps the men who took his taxi just wanted a getaway vehicle. In both these cases, the taxi will most likely be abandoned and recovered somewhere. Or it could also be a case of carnapping, where a few days or weeks from now, that taxi will be altered and probably sold to an unsuspecting buyer.

When I got home, I noticed my legs were shaking. I guess I was somehow frightened by what I just saw. While I don’t know what happened next, I do hope that that story got or will get a good ending. But at the end of it all, I just thank God for keeping me safe even when commuting late at night. And I am praying that He will continue to keep me safe always.

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