LivingTodayInThePresent

I’ve always considered myself to be a fearless road warrior. Commuting has never been a issue for me, in fact, I often prefer the use of public transportation to being picked up or getting a ride from my dad or Vince. I never have felt any anxiety climbing aboard a jeep or riding a bus, even late at night. That used to be the case, until last week.

A lot of people have remarked how unladylike it is to be so into commuting but I actually liked it. I liked being able to save money, the feeling that you’re not reliant on somebody else to get you to where you want to go and I loved the quiet time I have with myself whenever I commute. Sure there are down times, the annoying 101.1 station where most buses and jeeps seemed to be tuned into, the occasional “manyak”, the nauseating PDA of young couples, the crowd– but otherwise, whenever I commute, I feel powerful. I felt in charge of my detiny(ation). ^_^

But my usual bravado failed me last week and to this day, I am terrified of riding in a jeepney. More specifically, I am terrified of riding in a Manila jeepney. I am terrified of going to school and going home from school if I commute. Here’s the reason why:

Joseph, my classmate got held up last Sunday. The thing is, we would usually go home together since we both go the same way. We would ride jeepneys fearlessly in Manila and we would sometimes be going home at 8:30 or at 9PM. Last Sunday, we had a make-up class for Constitutional Law from 9AM to 12PM. That day, I didn’t commute at all because Vince and I had breakfast and lunch together so he picked me up.

When I came to class the next day, Joseph told me he got held up right after he left from school. At 1:30PM in the afternoon–in broad daylight, and the worse thing is, there were 13 other people who got deprived of their possessions in the same jeepney.

It was an armed robbery by a what is already considered a band. Three men, one carrying a knife, the other a gun and the other is the collector. It was raining heavily that day so the jeep’s blinds were down. Those 14 people gave up their wallets and cell phones without a fight but what made the whole thing even more despicable is that the robbers, apparently not satisfied with the booty they got, they proceeded to molest the women passengers. They kissed the women on the lips and mashed their breasts. Suprisingly, when the ordeal was done, it was only Joseph who came to the police station to report it.

That incident was rooted in my mind but it didn’t exactly deter me from my usual habit of commuting fearlessly even though its late at night.

But just last Thursday after class, Joseph and I decided to board an empty jeep. The jeep barely moved an inch when three strange men suddenly started to board the jeep. Joseph was paying our fare but even when I saw their faces, a paralyzing fear gripped me. I felt so terrified for no other reason but the sight of them. What made the fear worse was when one of them leaned down and a swiss knife fell from his bag.

So I began talking in a very loud voice, “Joseph, baba tayo bilis, naiwan ko book ko sa library, bilis baba na tayo!” It was all I can do to keep myself from jumping out of the jeep. Joseph looked at me and I began insisting we go down without even bothering to reclaim what we paid. Surprisingly, he went down with me. The first person I saw when I got down was Ms. Chona and I was talking much too loudly, saying that I left my book and had to go back to school, yadda yadda– I just didn’t want those men to become suspicious of why we suddenly went down we they boarded.

We walked away and when we were at a goodly distance, Joseph whispered, “Jo, sila yung nang-hold-up sakin!”

Now I don’t know if it was Divine Intervention, woman’s instinct, or a guardian angel that made me feel that overwhelming sense of danger but I’m so glad it did. It might have saved my life. I have good reason to believe the jeepney driver was in on it. And I’m sure those men wouldn’t be just satisfied with a mere kiss since its already late and Joseph and I were the only two passengers. It definitely would have been a lot worse.

Now, I feel so helpless and powerless. That close call made me realize what I dangerous world we live in after all. And now, I don’t feel safe. Commuters out there, read this and take this as a lesson, don’t be too overconfident of your security. I was just extremely lucky that I had that “feeling” and I paid attention to it. But now, my courage has come undone.