STAR reporter falls prey to robber in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines - Interviewing victims of street crimes for reporters like me had only meant words in my eight-year career.

Yesterday, I realized how grueling and horrible such an experience could be after I fell prey to a robber for the first time in Quezon City. When a deadly weapon is pointed at you, it seems there’s really no other choice – as if you would have ample time to think – but to give into the criminal’s demand.

I was on my way to work at around 10 a.m. and rode a jeepney along Tandang Sora Avenue in Barangay Old Balara. The jeepney stopped for about five minutes, caught in the heavy flow of traffic on the road heading to Commonwealth Avenue.

Suddenly, a man approached the front passenger seat where I was seated and grabbed my bag, which contained my brand new Macbook Pro laptop, BlackBerry phone, iPod Touch and wallet. He pointed what I recalled was an icepick at me.

For about 10 seconds I resisted and held on to my bag. When he started to stab at me with the weapon, I just had to let go.

The robber then ran toward a narrow alley between shanties. I didn’t realize I would have the courage to run after him and open myself to possibility of being hurt if he had accomplices there.

I felt an adrenaline rush when I saw where he went. I proceeded to the nearest police community precinct and invited officers to join me in hunting down the robber where shanties are being demolished for the C-5 Road extension project.

The residents said they saw the robber but denied knowing him and where he fled. A woman, however, said the robber went inside one of the shanties and a boy said he knew the person who was running with my bag.

Responding police officers then brought me to the Quezon City Police District Station 6, which has jurisdiction over the area. Two officers – Senior Police Officer 1 Jefferson Maderazo and PO3 Rommel Pablo – accompanied me and we went back to the place.

On our way back, I was on the verge of losing hope, not knowing how to recover the contacts stored in my phone and where to buy a laptop I needed for my work. I just really depending on prayers.

Upon arriving in the area, a resident suddenly surrendered my bag with all items intact. He said they cornered the robber, who was allegedly not a resident there. It is up to the police officers to believe the claim.

I told the policemen I work in the press, and they asked me if I hate robbers now that I have experienced being a victim firsthand. They lamented how policemen are being put in a bad light due to reports of alleged torture of suspected robbers. I could only empathize. After filing a blotter report at the station, I left and reported for work.