DB Product Review

I ride public transit in Metro Manila and sometimes, it’s not pretty good.  I saw a month and a half ago, a guy get sucker punched on the bus on EDSA and I don’t fault the driver for being afraid of the criminal who hit the guy in the face, who was bothering other people on the bus, and who ran out of the bus when he asked for the police and an ambulance.  Turned out his nose was broken.  Probably just a fraternity thing or something and just an isolated case.

Way back, I rode on another bus and was near a passenger with a backpack and another bag which probably had some interesting things on it because another man tried to insist on sitting beside him even though there were other seats in the bus.  My guess was right!  For he used his wrist and arms to be snake-like in inching its way through the backpack’s pocket.  I was thinking of trying to catch the attention of the poor passenger, but as my head turned around, there was like an old man who stared back at me intently like he wanted to argue, and then, there was a sight of a young man sitting elsewhere, which also looked like a friend of the bully.  My spider sense tells me that they were indeed accomplices.  I just felt disabled sitting there!  If only I can use an arnis stick to teach them a lesson.  Now I didn’t do anything at that time and I don’t blame myself.  

It’s getting terrible riding the buses in Metro Manila and it’s getting dangerous.  The list goes on if we recount all the news and the sad encounters like that of my office mate who was held up twice in their area in Novaliches, and even being pistol-whipped in one scenario.  Another office mate came to work with torn-out pants and he didn’t even notice until we were the ones who told him.  It turned out the criminal used a very sharp cutter, but good thing, that devil did not get what he was looking for, as the wallet was intact.  Say, you want more?  Another office-mate (female this time), fell for the old budol-budol trick wherein someone said that she had a spit on her blouse then right after, some coins were scattered on the floor.  It turned out, after she got off, that her phone, which was plan-based and still had years of payment pending, was gone!

Passengers shouldn’t be struck with crime on a city bus and drivers shouldn’t be fearful. They’re fearful because the police don’t respond quickly enough in Metro Manila.  Police should show up to get rid of a customer who isn’t behaving properly on the public transportation and they should be there in a reasonable amount of time to protect the drivers and the riding passengers against those who commit criminal acts on public transportation.  

Lastly, I even notice sex maniacs on a bus.  This was the time wherein I was bound for SM City Valenzuela and the bus I was on that morning was standing room only.  There were lots of female students from Our Lady of Fatima that time and what was striking was there were men who would intentionally go behind a lady passenger and grind her behind to take advantage.  They would even wink at their acquaintance that they are enjoying themselves.  

I’m doing this because it seems the politicians don’t care.  We need public transportation to work and the only way it’s going to work is that every bus has a camera that works properly and that police respond within 15 minutes.   

Sykes E-Recruitment Site