2:24AM a while ago, I almost lost my life.
Now while I am still very much traumatized by the experience, I have decided to share a few things one can do, if ever (God forbid), the same fate befalls you.
So here's my story before everything else.
After drinking in
Loading Point (
Xavierville Ave.), a few friends and I decided to stay in McDo Katipunan to chill for a while before parting ways. After a few good laughs, we finally agreed to head home. There were taxis in front of McDo, and all of us could have got home safely that early morning; but I, being the stubborn idealist that I am, refused to take any taxi waiting in front of the establishment (Long story short, I furiously reject ‘supporting’ the learned helplessness of the, pardon my words, street children there who wait for taxis to get passengers and then ask for money. These children have as much potential as anyone, and they shouldn't be wasting their lives in the mindset of "this is all I am good for"). So when everyone had left, I decided to walk a bit more and get a taxi on the mainroad. A little past
Pan de Manila, near a post, two guys were walking toward me. The sidewalk was big, so I moved right, deciding to give them their right of way. This is where it all went wrong. In a split second, I knew something was up and decided to run back, but since I was carrying a lot of things, they easily chased me, and since I was at the rightmost area now, they easily pinned me to the wall. The guy on my right in front of me (my point of view) took out a knife (I shall now refer to him as the weapon) and said "hold-up to". The guy on my left in front of me, blocked the only opening I could use to run away (I shall now refer to him as the wall). I shouted of course, how else would I react? The weapon then asked me, while pointing the knife at my ribs, "bakit ka sumisigaw?" and I, being the smug bastard that I am, answered, "eh ano po ba dapat reaction ko?". This pissed the wall off and he smacked the left side of my head. I was certainly enraged now, but I still had enough sense in me to just drop everything. I gave them my bag, my cellphone, my wallet - everything. I hoped this would be the end of the ordeal, but no. The weapon wanted more. He kept pointing the knife at me, "tawa tawa ka pa, saksakin kita diyan eh". Now I did not want a toss of the coin to decide my fate, I was not just going to wait there and hope for his kindness to decide not to kill me - so I reacted. I hurled one of the strongest right haymakers I have ever done straight to his face, and while he was hurt, I turned back and ran... as fast as I could.
But there were not only two of them. There were three. This guy, I shall call the lookout.
Out of nowhere, someone tackled me, stopping me in my tracks. Once more, this gave them enough time to reach me. By this point, I was readying myself for death - bracing my stomach for the piercing of the blade. The phantom feeling alone was enough to knock me out of my senses. The weapon and the wall were now back at my side. The weapon was furious. "Alam mo, di na lang kita sasaksakin. Barilin na lang kita." now I didn't actually see the gun, because at this time, believe it or not, my life flashed before my eyes - and I was ready to go meet my maker. I stopped struggling. Among other memories, I thought of family - my mother, my father, my siblings. I was ready. When all of a sudden, the lookout goes "tama na yan, alis na tayo" and yanks the weapon and the wall away. Now this does not make him a good guy, but he certainly saved my life.
As they were fleeing, I contemplated - should I shout for help? I decided not to. First of all, since if the weapon did have a gun, no amount of luck would have spared me. Second, I did not see the lookout the first time, what if there was another watchman around? Third, would people really try to stop a guy with a knife (and possibly a gun) to help a total stranger? In the wonderful imagination of a child oblivious to the perils of the world, perhaps, but in real life, it’s all about self-preservation.
So, my tips:
1) Don’t walk alone. Travel in big groups, especially at night – every story I have read involves people being singled out as targets.
Note: two to three people is not a big group.
2) If ever it’s late at night and you don’t have anyone to fetch you, ride a cab in a trusted area not far from where you are. While I was indeed going to take a cab, my ideals betrayed me. Take a cab or share one with a friend until a common drop off point.
3) Do not shout. Do not panic. These people who threaten you are just as scared of being caught as you are of getting mugged. Shouting and panicking aggravates the situation by turning on the weapon’s desire to silence you. Note that he is not called the threat, because he is not until you make him one.
4) Do not fight back. As attached one can get to his/her personal belongings, those things are replaceable – your life is not. Do not even attempt to show the slightest bit of resistance. This does not mean that you be a pushover, merely just humble enough to accept that you are losing your things.
5) Comply. These people have nothing to lose and the world to gain. It’s vice-versa for you.
6)
There is always a lookout. Rookie mistake on my part. They wouldn't have attempted this in such an open space if there was no illusion of safety. The lookout provides this illusion. As such, refer back to tip 4 and 5.
7) Notify the authorities as soon as you are safe. More than just the protection they offer, after such an event, it’s nice to be able to put your trust in someone again. They’re trained to handle cases like these and they know how to converse. And of course, you would want these assholes to get caught, wouldn't you?
8 ) As soon as you get home, recall every single thing taken away from you. Every single thing. A deck of cards, a pack of gum, a blue towel, a pair of leather shoes, an ATM card, a credit card, your driver’s license, etc. Doing so keeps you focused while at the same time starting off your incident report for the police. With regards to the more important items on the list, such as the ATM card and the credit card, call the banks concerned immediately. Have them cut off your credit balance. Although these cards have safety features such as pin codes and the like, it’s better safe than sorry.
9) Don’t wait for it to happen to you. Stay safe. You read about these things all the time and you never think that they’ll happen to you. But I’m living proof that they do. Yes, they do.
10) Be thankful you’re alive.
11) Repeat step 10 until you no longer can.
Original post by Tyrone Bretaña on 1 December 2013.
