There's something about May.

If you have been a long time reader of my blog, you will remember that I was robbed on May 13 last year. I was in a jeepney on my way to work when a man snatched my bag off me. My mind was half-sleeping so I was caught by surprise; my first instinct was to put up a fight. I tried to pull my bag back but he was much stronger than me that I even fell off the jeepney, causing wounds on my left arm and waist. My bag contained my wallet, two cellphones, camera, IDs and P8,000 cash. That was around 4:30AM.

Because of what happened my father regularly goes with me to Monumento (where I will then ride a cab to the office) every time I spend the night prior at my parents' house.

Today - May 4 - was no different. I woke up early, then we left the house a little before 4AM. At around 4:10AM the jeepney was flagged by three men (I was advised later there were four of them though). Thinking they were passengers, the jeepney driver stopped.  That's when one went to his side with a long knife, another went to the passenger beside him with a long knife as well, and one went inside with a long and rusty ice pick, threatening to stab us if we don't give our stuff to them. Everything the driver earned was taken. All of our bags were taken. My father was with me, but seeing they had weapons, he thought it best to just give our things and not give a fight anymore. While the son-of-a-female dog was busy with the other passengers, I was able to think clear and shoved my new phone inside my jeans. When he got to me he threatened me with the ice pick then ran away with my bag. I am so thankful he did not touch me anymore.

My bag (the brown bag I got from egg that I use all the time, that's my favorite) was taken. It contained my wallet with my IDs and debit and credit cards, around P1,000 cash (good thing I was already able to pay my rent the other day; today was my due date actually), phone charger, my beloved camera, my keys, a notebook and pens, and my make up kit with my favorite MAC lipstick :(

We reported the incident to the police. I am not trying to sound very pessimistic here but I have a feeling that everything we reported, all of our statements, etc.will just be buried under the big pile of crime logs written per day. I was a bit hopeful when my bag was stolen last year but after I did not receive any updates at all, and seeing how rampant things like this happen still, then I am not harboring any secret hopes that I will still get my bag back. Or for anyone to be arrested and persecuted. Would you believe that it happened just A BLOCK away from the Barangay Outpost? A Barangay Outpost where only one person was on duty, who may have a radio with him but (in his words) no one to radio to or to ask help from. Regarding the police station in the city hall, well, no one was in uniform and the investigators were sleeping. My father was starting to get angry at the level of incompetence the police "force" (I use the term loosely because there was nothing being enforced) was displaying. There was even a woman there who berated us (the other passengers and the jeepney driver were with us as well) for being panicky. I wanted to shout at her, really, if only I wasn't busy trying to get through to my banks to cancel my cards. It is incredibly frustrating.

Cancelling my cards at the banks' hotlines was also frustrating. It took soooo long that if I were the criminal with an ATM at my disposal, it would've been too easy for me to clean the person's accounts before he/ she was able to stop his/ her cards. I also work at the Lost/ Stolen Department for HSBC but I serve British customers, so I know stopping cards shouldn't take that long. Now I don't have cash and cards, and having the cards replaced will cost me a little more than P1,000 (each replacement fee costs P300-P400). I am so sad.

This is why I rent an apartment near the office. It's much nearer, ergo, safer. It just happened that I went home to the 'rents yesterday because I needed to get clothes.

I love my country, but, why are you bad, Philippines?