Below is an article re: cellphone snatching...anyone who had his/her cellphone snatched please raise your hand....

Writings : Cellphones and Being Street Smart
Contributed by the_messenger

My younger brother was held-up by 3 men with fan knives yesterday. Along with his friend, the items robbed were his friend’s necklace, a bracelet, P2,000 (which was supposed to be for his friend’s medicine, to prevent kidney infection), and my brother’s mobile phone. They were robbed about 3:00-3:30 pm along Aurora Blvd, between PSBA and J.P. Rizal.

The night before, my brother had changed his phone security code (he changed his pin code weeks back) and had copied on paper the entire entry in his cell’s phonebook. Talk about coincidence. A few days back he had a feeling he was about to part with his phone soon.
Right now, I’m having mixed feelings of frustration and anger. Not only because my bro was robbed, but because cellphone robbery is too (damn) rampant in this country, and a clear government solution seems absent, if not hopeless. I bet you have you own or some other friend’s story to tell. I fear that it being common, society would begin to accept is as normal. I hope not. No matter how common theft is, it still is born out of evil.

I can’t bring my bro’s phone back. But I hope to help others by sharing a few street smart tips I’ve learned. Feel free to correct or add.

1. Read your phone users manual regarding phone security. Some phones (Nokia) have pin codes and phone security codes. The default (original) code for the pin is 1234 and for the security is 12345. Changing these numbers would prevent other users from using your SIM and your phone unit, respectively. Greenhills and other phone centers require phone/sim purchasing receipts to be shown when someone plans to have their (stolen) sim/phone-locked unit unlocked. Or the robber could pay around P 1,800 for the phone to be unlocked illegally. Either way the phone would be useless or the robber would have to spend. If your phone gets stolen, contact your respective phone company so the unit can be blocked (applicable lang sa phone na naka-line).

2. When you plan to stay/walk in a public area or ride a public vehicle, switch phone to silent mode (and lock buttons). This also applies inside cinemas and during plays.

3. Avoid using your phone in public areas and public vehicles. That includes streets, buses, the LRT, the MRT, and jeeps. You’d be surprised at the creativity of robbers nowadays if I tell you stories I’ve heard. Yung uso ngayon ay yung bubungguin ka, habang pini-pickpocket ka.

4. Whenever convenient, keep your phone in a secure pocket in your pants, instead of your bag. The chances of loosing your bag is higher than loosing your pants. Harharhar.

5. Avoid public areas with very few people (hold up incidents) and areas with too much people (pick pocketing).

6. Avoid carrying lots of stuff. This is very inconvenient when traveling and distracts you from being observant. Pagkasyahin sa isang bag, without sacrificing comfort. If the area is crowded, keep bags in front and in sight. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the regular commotion in the area.

7. If you feel something wrong (kutob) or uncomfortable about a stranger beside, approaching, or talking to you, don’t be shy to ask another stranger (kung walang pulis) for help. Use intuitions and try not to be choosy, good and bad persons appear in different faces. Kung walang ibang tao (o kahit meron), I would highly suggest punching or kicking the stranger (brutally) first, before waiting for things to happen. The groin is most the sensitive area for attacks. Sapak muna bago tanong. Better safe than sorry. If you found out your assumptions were wrong, you could always apologize. Hehe.

8. If you feel something wrong in a place, trust your intuitions and go away from it quickly (I’m not talking about hard exams where you feel like you’re going to fail, hehe).

9. Copy your phonebook on paper. It may be primitive, but you’ll never know when your phone would be lost.

10. Dress appropriately and avoid wearing jewelry in public. Snatchers and pickpocketters are attracted to a “rich-looking-appearance” and the metallic sheen from your jewelry.

11. If you travel late often, invest in a pepper spray and/or a 29 (fanknife). Whichever you’re comfortable with. When you purchase it, be prepared (mentally) to use it with little conscience.

12. If a friend lost a phone, and the bastard who took it hasn’t changed the sim card yet (kapal), text the person a love or hate message. Baka malay mo makonsensiya. Here’s a common example.

“Nakakahiya ka. Nasisikmura mong magpakain ng nakaw sa (mga) anak mo!”

13. If you get held-up, with a knife poked at you (unless you’re confident about your martial skills, like executing a randori for 1-3 attackers), just surrender the items the robber is asking for. Huwag mo nang ilabas kung hindi niya hinihingi. Life is more important than your blue backlight, Nokia 8890 you saved for months. Damn.

14. If you get robbed, please, as in please report it to the nearest police station. Let’s not generalize about policemen. There are still good men in uniforms. But believe me, there is such a thing as local cellphone robbery syndicates, operated by scalawags. This is not fiction. At may quota ng telepono na nirerequire ang pulis na nakawin bawat linggo. Maximizing profit ika nga. Kaya huwag kang magtataka pag may pambayad ng bail yung dinemanda mong snatcher. Kung nag-bail at gusto mong balikan, P 10,000 minimum lang ang serbisyo ng isang hitman. Yung nagbayad ng bail ang ipatira mo, huwag yung snatcher.

15. Pray for safety before travelling.

I don’t mean to scare people, but here’s a list of theft-hot places in the Metro. Again, feel free to correct or add.

1. Ylanan road, between DMST and Commonwealth
2. Philcoa overpass, from 10pm-7am
3. Katipunan road
4. Aurora Blvd., in front of PSBA
5. The LRT and MRT, usually at the doors of the train itself, when people are racing to get in
6. Fastfood centers
7. The all time favorite Quiapo
8. Divisoria and Tutuban
9. Cubao
a. intersection of Aurora Blvd & EDSA, in front of the old Mercury Drug
b. in front of Isetann along Aurora
c. Road along the burnt Uniwide Mall
10. Intersection of EDSA and Ortigas, in front of Galleria, under the overpass
11. Along Rodriguez Sports Complex, Marikina

:: Bing Monday, April 14, 2003 [+] ::
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