WPD helpless vs cellphone thieves?

Is the entire Western Police District now helpless against street snatchers and jeepney holdup-men who terrorize Manila residents for that now prized-possession, the cellphone?

Last Monday night, two reporters covering the Manila beat lost their expensive cellular phones to a thief armed with an improvised knife inside a passenger FX van along the Quezon Bridge in Quiapo.

Journalists Genalyn Kabiling, 23, of Manila Bulletin and Katherine Adraneda, 23, of CyberDyaryo boarded the back portion of the Quezon City bound FX taxi at the Manila City Hall at about 7:20 p.m.

When the FX van was cruising along the bridge, the robber suddenly pulled-out a knife and announced the hold-up. The man, who was wearing a cap, a white polo shirt and khaki pants, then frisked the passengers and their bags.

After taking the journalists’ cell phones, a Nokia 6150 and 8250 – worth at least P21,000, the robber jumped off the van as its slowed to meet heavy traffic over the bridge. He then ran back towards Plaza Lawton.

This writer himself was also victimized by another cap-wearing robber last week along Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in Sta.Mesa. Taken from this writer was a Nokia 6150 cell phone. When this writer asked for assistance, he was met with indifference by the night-shift policemen manning the Sta. Mesa police station (WPD Station 8).

The same thing happened to Adraneda and Kabiling. When they sought immediate police assistance at the WPD headquarters, the duty officer advised them to proceed to the Blumentritt (Station3) police station.

To their dismay, a certain Police Officer 3 Villanueva told them to look for the robber themselves and return to the station once they find him.

Even WPD acting director Senior Superintendent Nicolas Pasinos virtually admitted that his officers and men are helpless against the brazen robbers now openly preying on helpless commuters along Taft Avenue, the University Belt, Quiapo and Sta.Mesa.