26 October 2005
OPINION: Watch your back when you ride on PUJs at night
AFTER ALL
Behn Fer. Hortaleza, Jr.
LAST Sunday, that is, the Sunday before this Sunday, we were witness to the unmitigated, barbaric, and totally criminal acts of a group of youth along barangay Mayombo (although the wild young thugs were probably from Puelay, a lady co-passenger of ours surmised) who probably have been doing the “crime” for kicks all this time and getting away with it.
A passsenger had just alighted from the Calasiao-bound jeepney we were riding on and just before the driver could start the vehicle again, a young, thin, hip-hop looking teener came up the rear of the jeepney and loudly called on his friends still on the other side of the street to join him. The driver naturally waited.
Suddenly, the teener took a half step inside and swung a fist right smack on the face of the man sitting at the nearest end of the jeepney’s rear. Blood quickly oozed from the mouth and nose of the guy, a rather heavyset man, who was too surprised to react.
Almost at the same time, we felt a slight nudge on our back as we sat a little diametrically across him and in a fraction of a second, the young lady seated also at the rearmost of the jeepney directly across the man who was just attacked, gave out a pained cry, shouted at the driver to speed away from the area as she had just been hit too on the shoulder by yet another thug.
When the punched and now bloodied man regained his senses, he looked out at his fleeing assailant across the street and moved as if to go down to chase him. We quickly dissuaded him because we noticed the young attacker had rejoined his “gang” and was raising both arms wildly in a gesture of victory like a Pacquiao who had just scored a stunning win. The man listened to us; had he tried to get even, he would have easily been beaten to a pulp by the possibly drug-crazed group.
* * * *
It was only after we had alighted from the jeepney at the Calasiao poblacion and on our way to our weekly presswork at Penpoint Press that we realized the slight nudge we felt on our back was actually the other attacker’s wild swing, perhaps intending to hit us but missed as we unconsciously moved a bit from where we sat to look out at the fleeing young thug after the man was hit. The hard punch landed instead on the poor lady to our left.
We asked the man if he wanted to go to the nearest police precinct but, perhaps dizzy from the punch and warily looking at all the blood on his mouth and nose, he declined and told us he just wanted to go home first.
* * * *
We can only wonder how many such incidents have been recorded in the police precinct blotter in the area by now. It’s highly improbable that was an isolated incident, seeing how the attackers did not seem to fear anyone and stayed on site seemingly itching to do more mayhem if a victim tries to fight back. They also seem to have a wily deception act to catch would-be victims off-guard before zapping them.
Any word from your cops, Col. Basbas?
We’ve lauded the PNP Dagupan for its twosome beat patrol along the busy sections of the downtown area being diligently implemented at daytime till now. But who’s watching the streets when darkness falls in this happy, bustling city of the North? Aye, there’s the rub!
Behn Fer. Hortaleza, Jr.
LAST Sunday, that is, the Sunday before this Sunday, we were witness to the unmitigated, barbaric, and totally criminal acts of a group of youth along barangay Mayombo (although the wild young thugs were probably from Puelay, a lady co-passenger of ours surmised) who probably have been doing the “crime” for kicks all this time and getting away with it.
A passsenger had just alighted from the Calasiao-bound jeepney we were riding on and just before the driver could start the vehicle again, a young, thin, hip-hop looking teener came up the rear of the jeepney and loudly called on his friends still on the other side of the street to join him. The driver naturally waited.
Suddenly, the teener took a half step inside and swung a fist right smack on the face of the man sitting at the nearest end of the jeepney’s rear. Blood quickly oozed from the mouth and nose of the guy, a rather heavyset man, who was too surprised to react.
Almost at the same time, we felt a slight nudge on our back as we sat a little diametrically across him and in a fraction of a second, the young lady seated also at the rearmost of the jeepney directly across the man who was just attacked, gave out a pained cry, shouted at the driver to speed away from the area as she had just been hit too on the shoulder by yet another thug.
When the punched and now bloodied man regained his senses, he looked out at his fleeing assailant across the street and moved as if to go down to chase him. We quickly dissuaded him because we noticed the young attacker had rejoined his “gang” and was raising both arms wildly in a gesture of victory like a Pacquiao who had just scored a stunning win. The man listened to us; had he tried to get even, he would have easily been beaten to a pulp by the possibly drug-crazed group.
* * * *
It was only after we had alighted from the jeepney at the Calasiao poblacion and on our way to our weekly presswork at Penpoint Press that we realized the slight nudge we felt on our back was actually the other attacker’s wild swing, perhaps intending to hit us but missed as we unconsciously moved a bit from where we sat to look out at the fleeing young thug after the man was hit. The hard punch landed instead on the poor lady to our left.
We asked the man if he wanted to go to the nearest police precinct but, perhaps dizzy from the punch and warily looking at all the blood on his mouth and nose, he declined and told us he just wanted to go home first.
* * * *
We can only wonder how many such incidents have been recorded in the police precinct blotter in the area by now. It’s highly improbable that was an isolated incident, seeing how the attackers did not seem to fear anyone and stayed on site seemingly itching to do more mayhem if a victim tries to fight back. They also seem to have a wily deception act to catch would-be victims off-guard before zapping them.
Any word from your cops, Col. Basbas?
We’ve lauded the PNP Dagupan for its twosome beat patrol along the busy sections of the downtown area being diligently implemented at daytime till now. But who’s watching the streets when darkness falls in this happy, bustling city of the North? Aye, there’s the rub!
