Best Posts in Thread: Beware motorcycle bag grabbers

Just happened to me a few hours ago. I was walking through Piapi at night on my way home (I was up early to grab something to eat before hitting up contacts in N. America). I felt a push from behind and my bag flew off from my shoulder. I then waved bye-bye to it at as it went away with the back-rider on the motorcycle.

Actually, a few seconds before waving bye-bye was a rush of oh-sh** inventory and an instant creation of a checklist for things to do when arriving home.

Luckily nothing was in it (I always carry my bag, even empty) which usually isn't the case. They carried off with like $8, some keys and my quickly deactivated debit card. The bag was new and cost $25. Silly me, I didn't have a back-up card, so the card is the biggest pain. I now have to coordinate WU / Xoom with people at home while I arrange something else.

Ultimately, this was probably a cheap call to take care of some stuff (have back-ups, make sure info is up to date on everything so that getting replacements is easy) and make sure to observe personal security.

Lessons...

• I should probably avoid walking at night when there isn't traffic. I hadn't been too worried about it until now, but I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone gave me problems.
• Walk facing oncoming traffic. I usually do this anyways because I get paranoid of someone swerving into the side and taking me out.
• At times, take a pedicab. I walk as a way to unwind my code brain and to get some blood moving. So, I don't want to stop completely. But it's probably good to take a pedicab outside of those cases (and maybe when I'm carrying something valuable.
• Carry only what I anticipate I'll need when I walk out the door. On a "break" walk, this should be nothing but some pocket change.
• Carry the bag with the straps going over both shoulders (as opposed to loosely hanging off one shoulder) and possibly even strapped at the waist (this bag had those straps.)
• Electronic devices need to be backed up, encrypted and setup with remote tools which may be helpful for disabling them, deleting data and tracking. I haven't looked much into some of this, but I'll be doing that now.
• Practice. Setup a random reminder which goes off maybe once a quarter which gives me a random scenario. For example, lost my wallet. Maybe lost everything in a flood. What would I do? Run through the steps as if this actually happened to make sure all systems work.
• Optional. Pull the golden cord on my privilege parachute. I could just exploit my unearned privilege in life and get a cushy tech job in an ivory tower in the heart of the empire. A place where people either work or flee leaving little room for poverty and the problems which come with that. Maybe a bad attitude on this one, but it's still an option.
• Just the opposite of the above option. Embrace it. I just paid my dip-sh** tax. That is, thieves making their living also. Lord knows that's just a drop in the ocean of money I have paid out to help others in this town. Some deserving, some not (some maybe even less deserving than these thieves.)
• Research for other tips and options.

Could have been worse. Keep your radar up.

Note: I didn't take this to the police station. Why bother? I also didn't even think to try to get any identifying info. The first thoughts to run through my head was to generate an inventory of what was in the bag.

 

Many times this has been done in broad daylight, usually to women on bikes, with bag over their shoulder. A notable example a few years ago happened on the corner in front of Silliman computer facility, the grabber took off down towards the harbor (road with Kamalig restobar at the bottom). Fortunately, a civic minded gentleman heard/saw the incident and kicked the w*nker off his bike onto the road, citizen's arrest etc. I personally know the cop(now retired, who first arrived on the scene), he took the suspect to hospital in a pedicab and kicked the living sh*t out of him on the way. Knowing the cop, I completely believe the story( reported in the Visayan Daily Star, though not the pedicab episode afterwards), the bag & cell phone safely returned to the woman of course.

 

This is a lesson in risk also. I didn't think about it (walking through dead areas at night) because I have never had problems. Locals warn me all the time, but again, never had problems. But when you do have a problem, the risk can be huge. It's like driving a motorcycle (which is why I don't drive.) You rarely get into a wreck. But when you do get into a wreck, it could kill you. Aside from death, the risk of physical injury (and financial distress) is sky high. Smoking has a similar risk profile (not everyone gets cancer, but the cancer can kill you.) Small lifestyle changes can remove big risks.

 

Bag snatching has been a 'provincial( and national, if tag-along news is anything to go by) pastime for well over a decade now. 'Risk reduction' is the name of the game I feel. Having been here for more years than I care to remember, I have seen many changes in both local and foreigner behavior in general, that doesn't make this little 'piece of paradise' any less dangerous to be part of. As a result, most of my original friends, over 25-30+ years in this town, don't hang around after dark, for good reason.

 

I don't think the Dude should feel embarrassed, this is another one for the city of gentle people to take...

 

I like your attitude,quick thinking, giving up the choice a doing something dramatic and of coarse your analysis of the lessons you just involuntarily learned. Those lessons may help of all of us to not get caught in the same situation. . When I am confronted with a possible loss, I always try to step in the space of looking at what could be the worst thing to happen in reality.... it is always smaller than my first emotional response to the situation. I think you did a great job of handling the situation emotionally not placing a lot of blame but just accepting life for all the "fun it is in the Philippines". It is not easy to get robbed, and not get a strong emotional reaction.
I particularly like the part where you realize that you have voluntarily helped other here, and the two robbers may have been in more need than those you voluntarily helped in the past. Life is not easy for the natives here, but that does not pardon them from illegal activity like robbing or scamming, just noting that they may not have many choices like we have in our culture/society for survival.

 

John! sorry to Read this hope you are OK but it is a heads up to us all.
Thank You for sharing what must now feel like an Embarrassing Episode.

 

I've been concerned with a similar incident, so as a precaution, I established numerous accounts with the same bank so that the transfer of funds is possible easily---I only carry one of the debit cards at a time, the others are stored in a secure place---all have different passcodes, but funds can be moved between accounts should it be necessitated by the theft/loss of one card. Not an ideal solution, but so far, it is effective.

 

It would have been funny if they came back to the ship with fingers stuck in their watchband.