Here is a story that needs to be resolved first by the authorities before the logo/slogan issue of the tourism department. These small-time thefts happen so frequently, tourists will shy away from the country.
On the evening of 14 November, Gina Valdivia, responded to nature's call and peed in one of the dark corners of Pedro Gil Street, Paco, Manila.
The 33-year-old woman probably could not find a nearby fast-food toilet or public toilet, which is a rarity.
When she was buttoning her pants, robbers took the chance and snatched her Nokia 2600 mobile phone straight from her right pocket.
Together with her husband, they chased the snatchers toward an alley beside Concordia College.
Upon reaching Barangay (village) 816 Zone 88, she sought the help of village officials who was able to catch the two robbers. One of them changed his shirt to avoid identification.
The two were identified as Marcelino "Jumong" Pidlaoan, 24, and Ronald Ampaya, 44, who are believed to be members of the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik gang. They were brought to a police department in Pandacan, Manila.
On November 19, the court charged both men with robbery with PhP100,000 (US$2,288) bail each.
The PhP3,200 (US$73.23)-worth mobile phone was never retrieved, however.
My aunt experienced the same story a few years ago when she peed in the famous Filipino burger chain, Jollibee.
She went to the toilet and hanged her bag on the door of her cubicle. During her most vulnerable moment of urination, she saw a hand picking up her bag from above the door.
She could not run and catch the thief because of her situation.
A CCTV camera saw the person responsible but cops failed to trace her.
The issue here is that crimes like these are prevalent in the country particularly in the cities. Authorities should address this issue in order for people to feel safe.
No matter how beautiful the country's tourism campaign were, things like these make the promotions useless in attracting tourists.
...and we are not yet talking about the Manila tourist bus hostage drama and the Maguindanao massacre.
Watch an example of theft in the YouTube video below. Pay particular attention to 00:24 or 19:41:48 time. I am not certain where this exactly happened.
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