IS KATIPUNAN still safe for students?

On June 10, during the second day of the Freshmen Orientation Seminar, senior Daniel Lapinig III, was robbed of his possessions by three conmen while waiting for his sister near McDonald’s Katipunan.

“I have been eating at McDonald’s for about three years now and the only incident I had with robbers was during that time. [Though] I had a number of friends who had already been victimized there before with other methods of robbery,” said Lapinig.

A situation report has been circulated by the University Physical Plant (UPP) to raise awareness of the incident in the Ateneo community.

‘Helpless’ strangers

According to Lapinig, the perpetrators patiently convinced him to escort them away from the establishment upon narrating a suspicious story

They brought Lapinig to a secluded area. Then, with no security personnel in sight, the perpetrators intimidated him into surrendering his valuable possessions. Upon getting the possessions, the perpetrators devised another instructive story to separate themselves from Lapinig – which he followed, having his personal safety as consolation.

With only a few coins left, he went to Quezon City Police District Precinct 9, along in Aurora Boulevard to report the incident and was escorted back to Katipunan. Unfortunately, the authorities were unable to catch the conmen.

Aside from con artists, students are also usual victims of snatchers. On a February evening, Kyrah Cheng, while holding her laptop and walking along Katipunan with a friend, was robbed. She said that there were two guys on a motorcycle, the driver and the one who snatched her laptop.

“I was running after them and then I stopped kasi narealize ko wala ng (because I realized that there was no) point…When I reached my condo, I was telling the guards. They told me to report it to the barangay. Kaso hindi ko na rin nireport kasi (But I didn’t report ‘cause) they were too far already,” Cheng said.

Collaboration

Michael Jacinto Mallillin, Assistant to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (ADSA) for Services said that the administration had made arrangements with Barangay Loyola Heights.

“[This is] to address the growing concern of crime happening in the Katipunan area, within our jurisdiction and right outside our gates,” he said.

A forum was held at the Barangay Hall and was attended by several different establishment owners and student representatives. The main agenda of the forum was to devise a specific protocol when someone is in trouble.

Due to lack of an effective communication medium and number of barangay tanod (watchmen) for immediate action, a new hotline called “Bantay Barangay” was formed.

The hotline numbers have already been included in the students’ handbook.

Aside from this, Barangay Loyola Heights Captain, Caesar Marquez added 2000 personnel and divided Katipunan into four sectors, and to these he assigned watchmen.

Call to establishments and students

Students are not the only ones responsible for their own safety. Establishments likewise must take responsibility for the well-being of its customers.

Immediately after the robbery, Lapinig along with authorities asked McDonald’s for access to the fast food chain’s CCTV camera which was able to record the incident. But for privacy reasons, McDonald’s did not show it to them.

Mallillin saw the refusal of McDonald’s to show their CCTV footage as a sign of a lack of cooperation. “If these establishments do not contribute to the security of our community, then it is not worth patronizing them,” he said.

He added that Ateneans should be vigilant especially off-campus. He cited instances of wearing the ID outside school. “There are cases [wherein] Ateneans are really [the] primary targets, particularly if they wear their IDs outside campus and they are identified as Ateneo students. It can be quite a bull’s eye on them.”

After such an unfortunate incident, Lapinig advised fellow students to be vigilant. “I suggest students who are approached by strangers inside any establishment to ignore them. If they do not stop, or if they force you, call the attention of any personnel, preferably the nearest guard, to help you push them away”, said Lapinig.

Editor’s note: To report robberies or similar incidents, contact the Bantay Barangay hotline at 666-6603 and 0999-691-9709,