BEHIND THE SCENES

Cell phone blues /Honest cop, worker
ALFRED P. DIZON

BAGUIO CITY -- A student complained to this writer saying her k750i cell phone was snatched at Burnham Park and that somebody told her it was sold to a certain “Bunso” who has a store in front of the Bridal Gown establishment at Centermall.

According to the student, Bunso has dark complexion and that he buys and sells cell phones snatched at Burnham Park and that the tindera in the place is a thin woman. “Kuya, pakiimbestigahan po kasi nakakasira ito sa image ng Baguio ang mga magnanakaw na yun kaya po lumalakas ang loob nila kasi po may bumibili ng mga nakaw nila,” said the student. ***
Still at Centermall, a cell phone seller, this time, also complained a policeman by the name of SPO4 Juan Be reportedly detailed at police station 3 bought a cell phone from them but later went back complaining this was damaged.

The seller reportedly told the policeman if this was a factory defect, then they could change it. “Ang kaso po, sila ang nakasira. Pinipilit po niya kaming isama sa ofis niya. Ayaw naming sumama dahil may administration kami dito na puedeng umayos sa amin. Kinukuha namin ang name niya. Wala daw po kaming karapatan na kunin ang name niya. Tiningnan namin ang plate niya, wala at amoy alak pa eh on duty siya at that time,” she said.

The complainant said she merely wanted the policeman to be lectured on good manners and right conduct as he was giving a bad name to the police. Cell phone snatching is on the rise in Baguio basing from daily reports of radio stations and if something is not done about this, the city may have another tag up its sleeve: “Cell phone snatching capital of the world.”

City authorities better act fast and address the problem or a computer geek would post it in a website asking Guinness Book of World Records officials to make it their latest entry. ***
The coconut shell of whoever authorized those vendors to ply their trade and close the road in front of Diego Silang Road up near Jollibee at Benguet Prime at night must be checked. I parked in front of the DENR office since vehicles couldn’t park along Session Road from 4-7 p.m. except on holidays. As usual, I went earlier to Luisas Restaurant to get news on what was happening around town. Around 9 p.m., I went to get the vehicle to go home but horror of horrors, I couldn’t get out from the exit point going to Jollibee prompting me to slowly inch my way down to Harrison. The scene suddenly looked like a segment from the movie Twilight Zone.
***
I saw three policemen sitting on a table set on the road. I asked them: “Apay naipasara daytoy kalsada?” Road obstruction daytoy a. (Was this road ordered closed? This is road obstruction).” “Isu garud,” one said. The other two chuckled. Maybe city police chief Senior Supt. Moises Guevarra could give an explanation.

I don’t know of any order from the city government to close the road at night. Apay sino manen aya nagkwarta ditoy? When the so-called century tree was lighted up at the foot of Session Road last week, chairs were put on the road for officials and visitors. Yes. On the road, adding to the already convoluted traffic mess. Kalla metten naka marijuana ag tritripping nu asinu man nga opisyales agpanpanunut dagitoy. Pangaasi yo met a.
***
On a happy note, PO3 Adamson Eden of the Baguio City police traffic division gave money he found to Tom Picana of the Manila Times to be returned to Efraim Calderon of the bureau of trade regulations of the regional Dept. of Trade and Industry with office address at Otek St. in Baguio.
Picana said the amount was P900. Eden reportedly found the money along Igorot Park. This was not the first time Eden found and returned the money to the owner. Some years ago, Eden reportedly found P7,000 along the road. Luckily, the ID of the owner, a Manila resident was clipped to the money. Eden called the owner and returned it.
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There are still honest people in this country. At the Clark Freeport in Pampanga, it never occurred to Ronald Alfonso, 36, an employee of the Clark International Airport Corp. that plentiful Christmas could be had at the expense of his honesty. Alfonso, whose official position is “land side officer I” at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport run by the CIAC here, could have kept $10,000 cash he found on the road outside the airport terminal at about 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 9. But he did not. At the rate of P41 to the dollar, his find amounted to about P410,000.

The bundled cash, whose paper band indicated the amount $10,000, was not contained in an envelop or bag and was just lying on the side of the road where a car had fetched the last passenger to leave the terminal from an Asiana flight from South Korea. “I was on duty at the section outside the terminal building for welcomers. I just saw the cash in a bundle just lying there,” Alfonso recalled.
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“Ay, ang daming pera,” was the first thought that came upon Alfonso on seeing the cash which he immediately picked up. Alfonso said he never thought for a moment to pocket the money. “Madami nga, hindi naman sa akin. (It’s a lot of cash, but it isn’t mine),” he also thought upon picking up the cash. He did not hesitate to immediately approach his immediate superior Allan Gil Nicdao and informed him of the details of his discovery. “He told me to hold on to the cash and wait for any claimant,” he said.

After 10 minutes, a Korean named Mun Byuong Chul of the Philexcel Industrial Park here, arrived with two other companions and reported having lost $10,000 cash. Alfonso and other security personnel interviewed the claimant to make sure he owned the cash, even as Alfonso testified that the car used by the Korean was the last vehicle he saw leaving the welcome area last. The grateful Korean rewarded Alfonso $400 which he accepted only upon the insistence of the foreigner. “I really didn’t expect anything in return. The reward was really unnecessary,” Alfonso said. ***
CIAC executive vice president Alexander Cauguiran said Alfonso will receive a “surprise” from the CIAC management for his honesty. “Of course, there will be a certificate of recognition, but there’s another surprise to be announced during our Christmas party,” he said. CIAC vice president for finance Romeo Dyoco said that for his deed, Alfonso is expected to get a promotion. The cash he found is the biggest so far in the history of the airport here, Dyoco said. Alfonso has been an employee at the airport for 11 years now and gets a salary of P19,700 monthly. He has two other siblings who already have their own families.
***
It is the end of the year and it is the yuletide season but still people are grumbling of corruption and making ends meet. Maybe the ushering Year of the Rat would bring good tidings and prosperity.
According to some Chinese friends, next year would be a good year. We hope so. With lots of two-legged rats all around particularly in government eating up the nation’s coffers, maybe the crocodiles, monkeys and all sorts of creatures that inhabit government offices would also change for the better. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!