scared and bruised

At last! The rain has stopped and the Sun finally showed its face. Oh! Summer!

Last Monday, April 4, when the Sun has just started to share its rays on Earth, I decided to proceed on to finishing the pending field jobs that has piled up since end of February.

First stop: the farthest destination! the inferior southeast of the province, Las Navas, then down to Catubig, to Laoang, Pambujan, Mondragon and back to Catarman.

I arrived at exactly 7:37 AM at Catarman Bus Terminal. Fatefully, the second van trip to Catubig already left about 5 minutes ago. So, I had to wait for another 45 minutes for the next ride to the place.

At 8:40 AM the van I was in, finally, started its motor running and left off the terminal. However, halfway through our destination, we smelled some fumes coming out of the engine. The driver checked the hood and found some smoke. The engine was overheated. Good thing the driver was a troubleshooting expert it didn't get long for him to make the engine cooled off, and after some 30 minutes, the van again started moving.

I arrived at Catubig wharf, and noticed that there were an unusual number of people in the area. I thought there was some kind of a fair, or a parade that has just passed by. I approached some and heard murmurs about a “hold-up,” a robbery that has just happened a few minutes ago. A certain “Johnson” was held up by three unidentified armed men in front of his store. The robbers brought along some 300K cash, warned the bystanders not to cause alarm, then rode a motorcycle-for-hire towards the direction of Las Navas. A few moments later, the Police—their station located some 150 meters away from the scene—arrived and started asking questions from the victim, from possible witnesses, and from some onlookers including myself. And they looked like they're more interested in knowing on how much did the victim lost rather in pursuing the criminals. Tsktsktsk.. Surprisingly, one innocent lady, breaking the commotion, suggested, “Nano kay dire kam kumuha sarakyan ngan lanaton an mga hold-upper? Tawagi niyo a Las Navas PNP para magcheck-point liwat! (Why don't you get a vehicle and pursue the robbers? Call Las Navas PNP to conduct a check-point!)” Hence, the Police immediately responded to the lady's call.

Whew! Robbers are getting some attention at this part of the country. Three reasons: 1.) money is really hard to look for, nowadays; 2.) the opportunities to find a decent job and earn a decent income is getting slimmer; as always, easy bucks come through evil ways; and 3.) Police authorities lack the equipment, the personnel, and the courage to react or respond to the crimes at hand.

Things like this do really happen. I could vividly remember what happened March of last year while I was doing another field job at the Palapag-Mapanas-Gamay area. A team of Philvolcs personnel who were conducting training and tsunami drills at Mapanas and Palapag were also stopped and held up along the uninhabited trail at Brgy. Nipa, Palapag. The robbers successfully took their stuff specifically 2 laptops, 4 cellphones and some cash. I was just fortunate the motorcycle driver I hired was a newbie and he drove his machine very slowly, we were even passed upon by the two motorcycles which the four Philvolcs staff rode (this irritated me!) so that we came a little late and missed the robbery, we arrived at the scene some 25 minutes after the robbers left, and I could still draw how the faces of the team were torn by fear and anger. Whew!

Stories of travelers, mostly collectors of lending institutions, being raided along the way are a common talk here. Hi-way robberies are ubiquitous in these areas, and the authorities haven't cracked any of those reported incidents. We heard some robbers being punished though, not by the Police, but through the marathon judicial process of the revolutionary People's Kangaroo Court.

So, I moved over the crowd that was stacked at the middle of the road and descended down the wharf, then, I noticed that large boats bound for Dapdap, Las Navas were missing.   I checked my watched and it was already 11 AM. Good God! The last boat trip to the place had already left. Immediately, I climbed back and called a motorcycle-for-hire. I took the land trip to Las Navas town proper. I just thought there maybe some boats that could bring me to Dapdap.

The road to Las Navas was beautifully made, wide, concrete and polished. It was new, thanks to the multi-million presidential project won by Adige-Sta.Clara Ventures. But wait the road does not end up at town proper. It hasn’t even reached the bridge that connects Catubig and Las Navas. Motorists have to clear off almost a kilometer of disgustingly muddy and rough road to the bridge and another kilometer down to the first concrete street of the town (Where  the hell did the funds to finish the project go!!? Ah! may be to "savings"?--this is but normal in government infras, ryt?). The driver I hired declined to fetch me through the town, instead he dropped me off by the bridge. There’s a steep path towards the foot of the bridge that I have to go downhill and there wait for some pedicabs that would bring me to the town proper.

The way downward was a little wet, slippery and the cliff is vertically sloped. Some kids went on to descend with me. I decided to come down first so that the kids could follow through. Halfway through the descent, a child screamed out of the blue, . I looked up, and BLAG! the kid’s right foot was on my neck, his body rushing down the slope. I was dragged down and presto, I earned bruises around the elbow area of both my arms. Hah!! This is pure luck I supposed! Luckily, while on my way down, I was able to calm down, maintained my composure and protected my head, otherwise, I could earn not only bruises but contusions of the head as well, or maybe worse than that…

And with good grace, I immediately took my blemished shirt off, drew my bag for an extra (I’m always ready with this kind of situation), and walk off as if nothing happened. I went on  to finish the itinerary.

That was what I call “another day on the field.”

On my way home, I pondered. What if something serious happened to me down the cliff? What if I was the one spotted by the robbers, and because I have nothing inside my bag but papers, they would get pissed and shoot me? Oh! that's rather gross and insane! It's kinda scary but that could possibly happen. I really couldn't help but think also of my safety. Aside from the actual hazards on the road, the chance of meeting those unfriendly travelers down your way is very much likely. Sometimes, I fell some stinging on my back whenever I receive a request to conduct field work to these areas. It is a fact that whenever we leave the office, we also leave our foot on the grave. If I could just have a choice, I would rather stay safely working night and day in the office than risk my life down the road.

I just wonder, doesn't the System have any future plan of giving field personnel any hazard pay?