Going to a mall compels me to don a decent casual attire. When I decided to buy groceries and dinner for my nonagenarian mother last February 28, 2017 which was a day prior to Ash Wednesday, I wore a dark blue Hollister shirt with a yellow-green horizontal stripe , a Da Hui Hybrid Collection short and a Penshoppe chambray slip-on shoes. The shirt and short were given by relatives abroad while the footwear was bought from an end of season sale.
While I carried the eco bag containing the groceries in my right shoulder and a huge paper bag containing my mom's dinner in my left hand, I walked and struggled to reach the front of the Philippine Stock Exchange Building where I took the public utility jeep going to my place. After an hour of waiting and avoiding mob-like boarding competition from other passengers, I was able to take a ride back home.
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Inside the jeep, several passengers got busy in preparing and paying for their fares. With my right hand holding my previously prepared payment, I gave my ten(10)-peso coin to a male passenger near the driver. The passenger who took my coin did not immediately give my payment to the driver. He waited for the others to hand him their fares. To my surprise, he was giving change to selected passengers. Afterward, he gave all the payments to the driver.
Still being positive, I was hoping that the driver will notice an over payment of two(2) pesos and will give me my change. Reaching my destined stop, I asked a couple of passengers immediately beside me who received my payment. They confirmed that it was the guy wearing spectacles and maroon-like long sleeves. Speaking of the culprit, he was also taking off at the same stop.
I was able to catch up with the "villain" and told him what's on my mind. "Although I would not die without receiving my two(2)-peso change and with your good intentions to facilitate payments, next time promptly hand the payments to the driver so that a passenger with excess payment can directly ask the driver for the change," I advised the dude. The guy just froze and gave me a blank stare. Then, I went ahead of the speechless guy.
After I told my sister about the incident, she gave a surprising twist to the story. She asked me if the fare facilitator was an old guy. I replied in the negative and she said an old man riding the jeeps within the area was collecting fares to avoid giving his due fare. Then, she advised me to pay the driver when the latter can recognize my payment. To be safe, avoid handing your fare when a couple of passengers are also making their payments.
For me, the incident was an irresponsible/inconsistent transmittal of payment. In my sister's point of view, it was petty crime of fare theft, (I am not sure whether this is an exact example of filching which is stealing small amounts of money, properties, etc.) The modus operandi M.O. was to act like a treasurer or conduit of fare payments of several passengers where the payments are handed to the driver in a single batch. With the driver unable to exactly identify the paying back seat passengers, the petty thief (filcher) steals a free ride.
Why such a big deal to the extent of describing my attire? Stealing is WRONG. The act is aggravated by the victim(s)' economic status Because the potential victim is wrapped in branded attire does not justify the act. This petty crime is not like Robin Hood who had heroic intentions of stealing from the rich to benefit the poor. In my story, the real victim could very well be the jeepney driver. The criminal has deprived the driver a well-deserved and hard-earned fare aside from reducing the purchasing power of the pensioner' cash funds (a source of my cash inflows).
Until now, I am still hoping that the dude was a careless payment facilitator. If not, this petty criminal did not demonstrate an inch of remorse when i was giving him a piece of my mind. Can we now say this is just a small amount of money and we should not bother? That we should only be alarmed if he takes thieving to the next level by increasing his stolen amount. Probably, we can take comfort by thinking that this was only a planned small mischievous act to signal the end of the season of excesses and the start of lent.
