In this pandemic, people are expected to help one another, yet there are some who still lean on organized crimes.
Just last week, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that the crime rate in the country dropped to 23.9 percent in the first nine months of 2020.
PNP Spokesperson Col. Ysmael Yu said that based on data collated from police blotters of Police Regional Offices nationwide, the police force was able to record a total of 283,549 crime incidents. This is a decrease of almost 90,000 from the 372,621 figure recorded in the same period last year.
While this decrease can be related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the seven-month-long quarantine, this does not mean that the country can be completely crime-free. Especially with Metro Manila’s easing and implementation of a less strict General Community Quarantine (GCQ), it is expected to have more people outside now.
Yet, this might also be the time that organized crime groups are waiting for.
‘Escalator-Ipit Gang’
Last weekend, October 17, concerned citizen Margarita Jamali took to social media to share her experience with an alleged “Escalator Ipit Gang.”
According to Jamali, she went to Ali Mall, an Araneta Center mall in Quezon City to have her facial. What was supposed to be a relaxing day for such an appointment turned out to be a stressful day.
In preparation, she narrated that she had to withdraw money from the ATM at the basement of the mall and used the escalator to reach the upper ground. For those unfamiliar with Ali Mall’s interior, its escalators are single style, designed only for one line of people, unlike the usual type – dual that allows at least a pair of people in one escalator case pre-COVID-19. She also described the mall to not have a lot of shoppers at all considering that it is still the middle of a pandemic.
“Sa middle na ng escalator going up merong nag-cut sa akin na babae so parang medyo nasurprise ako (It was already in the middle of the escalator, going up, when a woman cut through the line from my back so I was surprised) since for a single escalator and we are all practicing social distancing. Ki-nut ako so nabangga ‘yung left shoulder ko (She cut through the line so she bumped to my left shoulder),” Jamali said.
What added to Jamali’s surprise is that she described the woman to be middle-aged, someone expected to be more careful and perhaps sluggish in moving. Regardless, Jamali said that she chose to give the benefit of the doubt.
However, much to more of her surprise, when the middle-aged woman reached the landing area once she got off the escalator, she fell. While this did not cause Jamali to panic, she was aware that such incident could cause a disruption in the flow of people who are about to alight the escalator, especially her who was following the lady.
“Nagulat ako kasi ang dami agad sa likod ko (I was shocked to see so many people suddenly behind me),” Jamali shared.
Noting the sudden increase in the number of individual right behind her without the practice of social distancing in the escalator, the lady cutting through her and the sudden incident of said woman falling, Jamali could not help but feel that something is not right. She considered the fact that she just withdrew money, which was thankfully still in her bag, along with her personal belongings.
As alert as she is, she shared in the live video that she chose to be visible to the mall’s staff by staying in the middle of the upper ground and observing the people, especially those that were with her in the escalator. She also chose to communicate with a friend through a phone call as she assessed her situation and the happenings.
“Bigla akong nakaramdan na pwedeng na-Ipit Gang ako (I suddenly realized that I might have been a victim of the Ipit Gang),” she said. The Ipit Gang is recognized by PNP and according to its website, its modus operandi involves gang members shoving or pushing “a prospective victim to distract him or her, while their accomplice picks his pocket.”
“Feel ko ‘yung kaninang insidente, Ipit Gang na hindi successful kasi nga ‘di ako natumba tapos hawak ako sa bag ko kaagad kasi mabilis ung nangyari (I feel that what happened was an unsuccessful attempt of the Ipit Gang since I did not fall and I immediately held my bag even if things happened quickly),” she said.
Continuing her call and pretending to be talking to a police just to secure herself, Jamali said that she looked for a security guard but while she could not find one instantly, she had to prioritize observing and being alert.
She said that those who were with her in the escalator barely left the grounds, which she found odd, since mall-goers are more decisive in their steps and actions, especially in which stores and establishments they are to visit. However, Jamali still wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt even if she said that she felt “paranoid.”
Finally, she saw a guard and she immediately reported that she might have been allegedly targeted by a certain modus operandi. She requested if it was alright for the guards to roam around the area, just in case.
Still, Jamali said that she proceeded with her facial appointment to be able to clear her mind before formally reporting the incident to the mall’s security because she was really determined to see the CCTV.
She added that even if she has her own speculations, she believes that the police and the security forces are trained to know the body language and cues of criminals.
Moral obligation
Jamali’s report did not go smoothly in the security office as she felt that the personnel “were not really interested” in her story – the point being that she did not lose anything.
She was also told by the security head that these incidents do not happen in Ali Mall.
“When you get that kind of answer, from a person securing the mall, would you be happy?” she said, disappointed with how her case was being handled.
However, she insisted that even if nothing was stolen from her, she wants to have a peace of mind and seeing the CCTV footage to clarify what happened is the key. At the same time, if her speculations were right, this is a matter of moral obligation to the community to raise awareness that such organized crime can still happen amidst a pandemic, she said.
The security eventually helped her file an incident report and even accompanied her to a police station.
While she was able to file for a request to view the CCTV, Jamali was still disappointed as the same point was raised by a cop in the police station.
“Nakakalungkot (It is sad),” she said, after sharing that she was told that she could have just let the whole thing pass since she did not lose anything.
Regardless of these subtle discouragements, Jamali still continued to push through.
Unconfirmed confirmation
After several delays, Jamali was allowed to see the CCTV footage through personal viewing. She came back to the mall with a friend and she shared that she felt more traumatized by the realization that her speculations were indeed right.
According to her latest live video update, two footages clearly portrayed “hand gestures, signals” and ‘eye to eye’ communication between her alleged perpetrators.
“Possible pa pala na kung umalis ako dun sa gitna, possible palang na-mug ako or probably, I don’t know, na something worse could have happened (If I left my spot back then, it could have been possible for them to mug me or probably, I don’t know, something would could have happened,” she said, citing the few number of people in Ali Mall.
“I’m just thankful na ‘di ako umalis hanggang makakita ako ng (that I did not leave until I saw a) guard,” she added.
While the footage ‘pointed out the obvious confirmation’ of such organized crime happening, Jamali could not contain her anger, just remembering how the security head in a phone call prior to the viewing, told her that ‘there was no modus at all.’
“Ang clear, sinabi mo sa call na walang attempt sa akin (You clearly said in our phone call that there was no attempt at me),” she said.
Jamali said that she asked the security head for his assessment after watching the video and he claimed that social distancing was practiced and that there was no sign of a modus operandi. More than that, during the viewing of the footages in the security room, she said that the security head still did not seem so convinced with some possible suspects on the video.
Security lapses
While feeling a sense of peace in being able to confirm that she was not just “paranoid” and that her instincts are right, Jamali still raised important points especially on how the security handled her report.
She said that when she reported at 3 p.m., no action was done on their part. And when she was viewing the CCTV, instead of acknowledging her statements, she said that it seemed that the security was ‘protecting’ the alleged perpetrators.
“Mali ba ako na i-improve ‘yung security niyo (Is it wrong of me to ask you to improve your security department)?” she could not help but say.
As of writing, Jamali asked the help of authorities to formally request a copy of the CCTV footage but Ali Mall insisted that they are a private company and it is in their discretion if they will release or not.
However, as a concerned citizen, Jamali also suggested for them to just acknowledge and post it online if they cannot grant her a copy, just for people to be aware that this modus operandi exists.
As of publishing this article, Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI) has also reached out to the security office of the mall to ask for their comment, but they redirected the team to the mall’s public relations department. PCI is still waiting for their response.
‘You are on your own’
While Jamali’s case is not universal in all establishments, she still advises civilians to be more alert and to possibly “train” their loved ones in their responses to these kinds of incidents.
“Mag-ingat nang triple talaga kasi (You must be really, really careful because) you are on your own,” she wrote in a post.