I Got Robbed!

Yup, you read it right. I got robbed. Luckily, though, they only took my purse, which contains 200 pesos and my government IDs with my maiden name. Ha!

It happened while I was on the jeepney. I was seated beside a man, who is nearest the jeep entrance. Near Market Market!, another man stepped in and of all the empty seats, he chose to sit beside me too! I didn't mind them, though. It was, for me, an ordinary 30-minute ride to Guadalupe, where I was to ride the bus. For them, though, they stepped out of the jeep 200 pesos richer. 

I think they targeted my purse because it was big and thick, and they saw it when I took it out to get money for my fare. Its thickness is because of the government IDs, doctors' calling cards and bookmarks it contains. It's heavy because it also functions as my coin purse. My other "real" wallet is smaller and thinner and is not easily visible because it's hidden deep in my bag. 

I was carrying three bags - one is my main shoulder bag, the second is my laptop bag and the third is my thermal bag for my milk storage bottles. Maybe because I was busy holding on to many things at once, I became an easy target.

So, lesson learned. To avoid another similar incident, here are the things I will do/avoid.

1. Buy a bigger bag to eliminate the need for three separate bags. I'm required to bring my laptop everywhere because I am the appointments secretary of a Cabinet Official so leaving it in the office to lighten my load is out of the question. 

2. Don't put all my IDs in one purse. It's okay that I lost all my IDs today because all of them, except PhilHealth, still bear my maiden name. They're due to be replaced anyway so I'll just file an affidavit of loss and request for new ones. But once I've replaced all of them, losing them again won't be okay anymore.

3. If the jeepney is almost vacant but then someone insists on sitting very close to me, I will hold on to my belongings and make sure to close my bags.

3. Before riding the jeepney, or any other public transport, I will have my fare readily in hand.

4. Stop texting! I was texting my mother about Nathan's progress in school that I didn't notice I was being robbed! (head on the wall)

But even though this incident was a bad start of my day and week, I will not let it ruin my mood. There are still things to be thankful of, such as:

1. The bus conductor didn't ask for my fare. I gave him a 1,000 peso bill because I didn't have coins anymore. He asked if I have a smaller amount and I said no because I lost my purse. He just skipped me and asked for the other passengers' fares. Yipee! Thanks, Manong!

2. They stole my coin purse and not my real wallet. 

3. My ATM cards, which I thought where in the purse, are safely with my husband. At least I don't have to request for new ones, which would have been a long and tedious process. If it were the case, I wouldn't get my salary from my part-time online job on-time.

4. I wasn't hurt nor terrorized but the incident did teach me really valuable lessons for next time. 

5. The 200 pesos could have been of great help to them.

6. Because they also stole my IDs, I am now forced to get new ones. Thus, ending my 2-year laziness of getting new cards with my new name. Hehehe

I have read of a lot of people getting hurt and losing so much when they got robbed. I'm still lucky that I'm okay. 

Take care!