Officer Chong, bayani ka
'Siguro iniisip mo lang gumimik,' said Officer Chong as I sat on the unupholstered stool in the Osmena precinct. 'Di mo alam kung ano ang batas natin at di ka natatakot. Iniisip mo lang siguro magpakasaya.' Apparently, there are checkpoints near Roxas blvd and they ask for your license when you drive through them. The license...I just didn't have.
And inside, I just felt fucking sad. And I just glanced at the three officers that surrounded me and said ' sige, arrestuhin mo ako. Ganyan naman talaga ang batas diba? Mali naman ang ginawa ko.'
And they didn't know what to say. I didn't fight, I didn't bring out my brat politics and ask them 'kilala mo ba kung sino ako?' I just sat there, agreed that I be arrested and waited. And they looked at one another and Officer Chong had to ask "May problema ka ba? Psychology kinuha ko at nakikita ko na may dinadala kang mabigat na problema.'
Sabi ko, "Officer, kasi yung tatay ko nasa ospital. Meron siyang pigsa na di pa gumagaling.'
'Ah, kaya pala ganyan ka.'
So they asked that I just pay a fine and I told them I had to withdraw and we drove around on Officer Chong's motorcycle and I was just enjoying the free ride around Intramuros. And the dude understood me and he said 'mabait ka naman pala eh.'
In the end, after pretending I didn't have cash in my bank account, I offered them a trip to our resort in Subic (weekend stay for two nights and two rooms) and then they offered me a cigarette and their cool cobra-shaped ashtray to flick the ash in. And they let me go. And that was that. I made two new friends. So kids, the moral of the story is that you come up with a sob story when you get caught by the cops--and you be nice. It works, you know.
And when I got to World Trade, I just felt fucking disgusting. Everybody was on fucking E and everybody was just so happy to be there and I remembered Officer Chong and what he thought of kids like me. And I just hated myself after that. So i went home and thought about it and told myself that I need to do something significant with my life. And I need to get a license, as well. It's pretty darn useful, you know.
And inside, I just felt fucking sad. And I just glanced at the three officers that surrounded me and said ' sige, arrestuhin mo ako. Ganyan naman talaga ang batas diba? Mali naman ang ginawa ko.'
And they didn't know what to say. I didn't fight, I didn't bring out my brat politics and ask them 'kilala mo ba kung sino ako?' I just sat there, agreed that I be arrested and waited. And they looked at one another and Officer Chong had to ask "May problema ka ba? Psychology kinuha ko at nakikita ko na may dinadala kang mabigat na problema.'
Sabi ko, "Officer, kasi yung tatay ko nasa ospital. Meron siyang pigsa na di pa gumagaling.'
'Ah, kaya pala ganyan ka.'
So they asked that I just pay a fine and I told them I had to withdraw and we drove around on Officer Chong's motorcycle and I was just enjoying the free ride around Intramuros. And the dude understood me and he said 'mabait ka naman pala eh.'
In the end, after pretending I didn't have cash in my bank account, I offered them a trip to our resort in Subic (weekend stay for two nights and two rooms) and then they offered me a cigarette and their cool cobra-shaped ashtray to flick the ash in. And they let me go. And that was that. I made two new friends. So kids, the moral of the story is that you come up with a sob story when you get caught by the cops--and you be nice. It works, you know.
And when I got to World Trade, I just felt fucking disgusting. Everybody was on fucking E and everybody was just so happy to be there and I remembered Officer Chong and what he thought of kids like me. And I just hated myself after that. So i went home and thought about it and told myself that I need to do something significant with my life. And I need to get a license, as well. It's pretty darn useful, you know.