I’m sure a lot of you people have encountered that oversized lighter sold in various places like malls or even on the street. It so happens a friend of mine gave me one two weeks ago during a Christmas party I attended.
“At least I have a better lighter for lighting up the grill.” I told myself.
And so I took the lighter along everyday with me. I kept it in my bag for those in case of emergency moments. It became handy during our candle lighting/vigil at Bantayog last Wednesday in commemoration of the first month after the Maguindanao killings, aside from the other parties I attended.
Recently on the news, we have heard of that igniting incident on an airline headed for Detroit from Nigeria. It actually reminded me of this scene in Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, wherein Harold was trying to defend Kumar and his smokeless bong. “He’s not a terrorist. He’s just an idiot” Harold exclaimed when a woman saw Kumar lighting his smokeless bong.
Now little would I know that I would be in a similar situation. No, I did not carry anything like a smokeless bong or something like that. I had that oversized lighter in my bag.
I was a little bit in a hurry this morning. Not only have I not eaten breakfast, I had to talk to 2 different communications companies for our internet connection in the office. So I decided to take the AUV route, more commonly known as the FX, instead of the jeep. Nothing peculiar there, really. The sparks start to fly, figuratively that is, when I got off at the LRT station in Santolan.
I fell in line, waiting to be inspected by the guard on board. When it was my turn, I opened my bag and all the pockets.
“Pakibuksan ulit ito (referring to one of the bag pockets)”
I opened it and he pulled out the giant lighter from my bag.
“Bawal ipasok yung ganitong kalaking lighter.” And he puts it aside.
“Teka lang, nung isang araw pinapasok ako dala ko yan. Tapos ngayon hindi na?”
“Bawal po talaga eh”
“At isa pa, wala kayong karapatan na dumukot lang basta-basta sa bag ng mga pasahero. Ituro niyo muna kung ano ang bawal tapos dun mo lang kami bigyan ng option na isurrender o hindi nalang sumakay”
Flash back to sometime 2004 at one of the LRT 2 stations: Bache and I were on our way home after having our Monday ritual of beer in one of the alcohol joints near UST. We were having our bags inspected when one of the guards on duty apprehended us.
“Boss bawal po kayo pumasok. Bawal kasi yung mga nakainom dito. Amoy alak po kayo. Lasing po ata kayo” The guard informed one of us (one of us was apprehended, I’m not saying who, though)
“Hindi naman ako lasing eh. Hindi naman ako mangugulo eh” replied the one apprehended.
“Sir kahit na. bawal po talaga. Kasi hindi po kanais-nais yung amoy na yun sa ibang pasahero” the guard replied.
“Chong, tama na. Wag na tayo mag-LRT” the one who was not apprehended said.
We skipped the idea of trying to get access to the LRT and took a cab instead.
Fast forward to the current day. I had to act quick. I was running late since I had to talk to two different offices with regards to work related concerns as well as some personal queries. I tried reasoning out. I mean, I’m no terrorist to begin with. There’s no real written record of my past misdemeanors at the LRT (which all equate to entering the train under the influence of alcohol during my early college years). Hindi naman ako mamamatay tao. Ni hindi ko nga alam paano gagawing bomba yan to begin with. And so I had to concede. I mean, what else can I do? For starters, it would be pathetic to argue over such matter. Plus, I’m running late. I have so many things to accomplish today both inside and outside the office. And I would not want a civil or criminal case knocking on my door (I nearly had a civil case coming my way two years ago, but thats a different story). And of course I would not want to have a mug shot posted along with an updated poster of the most wanted by the PNP (those posters are not even accurate because the biggest of them all is not even there!). And if I still make a big deal out of it, i would probably land at the headlines of tabloids with a pathetic header.
I left the station. Ticked alright. But at least I somehow managed to keep myself off both civil and criminal cases, again. When I took a ride to Cubao from the train station, I realized that if all those violations have been written, then I think I should have a restraining order from riding trains. Oh well, there are automobiles and other forms of public utility vehicles anyway. The world won't end just because I did not get that train ride.
If there’s one thing I did regret for this morning, I think should have given that guard a stupid look on his face while I walked away. That would make it quits for both of us. I could have been considered as a threat to the security of the passengers. But I am nothing as compared to that small but big threat to the state.
“At least I have a better lighter for lighting up the grill.” I told myself.
And so I took the lighter along everyday with me. I kept it in my bag for those in case of emergency moments. It became handy during our candle lighting/vigil at Bantayog last Wednesday in commemoration of the first month after the Maguindanao killings, aside from the other parties I attended.
Recently on the news, we have heard of that igniting incident on an airline headed for Detroit from Nigeria. It actually reminded me of this scene in Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay, wherein Harold was trying to defend Kumar and his smokeless bong. “He’s not a terrorist. He’s just an idiot” Harold exclaimed when a woman saw Kumar lighting his smokeless bong.
Now little would I know that I would be in a similar situation. No, I did not carry anything like a smokeless bong or something like that. I had that oversized lighter in my bag.
I was a little bit in a hurry this morning. Not only have I not eaten breakfast, I had to talk to 2 different communications companies for our internet connection in the office. So I decided to take the AUV route, more commonly known as the FX, instead of the jeep. Nothing peculiar there, really. The sparks start to fly, figuratively that is, when I got off at the LRT station in Santolan.
I fell in line, waiting to be inspected by the guard on board. When it was my turn, I opened my bag and all the pockets.
“Pakibuksan ulit ito (referring to one of the bag pockets)”
I opened it and he pulled out the giant lighter from my bag.
“Bawal ipasok yung ganitong kalaking lighter.” And he puts it aside.
“Teka lang, nung isang araw pinapasok ako dala ko yan. Tapos ngayon hindi na?”
“Bawal po talaga eh”
“At isa pa, wala kayong karapatan na dumukot lang basta-basta sa bag ng mga pasahero. Ituro niyo muna kung ano ang bawal tapos dun mo lang kami bigyan ng option na isurrender o hindi nalang sumakay”
Flash back to sometime 2004 at one of the LRT 2 stations: Bache and I were on our way home after having our Monday ritual of beer in one of the alcohol joints near UST. We were having our bags inspected when one of the guards on duty apprehended us.
“Boss bawal po kayo pumasok. Bawal kasi yung mga nakainom dito. Amoy alak po kayo. Lasing po ata kayo” The guard informed one of us (one of us was apprehended, I’m not saying who, though)
“Hindi naman ako lasing eh. Hindi naman ako mangugulo eh” replied the one apprehended.
“Sir kahit na. bawal po talaga. Kasi hindi po kanais-nais yung amoy na yun sa ibang pasahero” the guard replied.
“Chong, tama na. Wag na tayo mag-LRT” the one who was not apprehended said.
We skipped the idea of trying to get access to the LRT and took a cab instead.
Fast forward to the current day. I had to act quick. I was running late since I had to talk to two different offices with regards to work related concerns as well as some personal queries. I tried reasoning out. I mean, I’m no terrorist to begin with. There’s no real written record of my past misdemeanors at the LRT (which all equate to entering the train under the influence of alcohol during my early college years). Hindi naman ako mamamatay tao. Ni hindi ko nga alam paano gagawing bomba yan to begin with. And so I had to concede. I mean, what else can I do? For starters, it would be pathetic to argue over such matter. Plus, I’m running late. I have so many things to accomplish today both inside and outside the office. And I would not want a civil or criminal case knocking on my door (I nearly had a civil case coming my way two years ago, but thats a different story). And of course I would not want to have a mug shot posted along with an updated poster of the most wanted by the PNP (those posters are not even accurate because the biggest of them all is not even there!). And if I still make a big deal out of it, i would probably land at the headlines of tabloids with a pathetic header.
I left the station. Ticked alright. But at least I somehow managed to keep myself off both civil and criminal cases, again. When I took a ride to Cubao from the train station, I realized that if all those violations have been written, then I think I should have a restraining order from riding trains. Oh well, there are automobiles and other forms of public utility vehicles anyway. The world won't end just because I did not get that train ride.
If there’s one thing I did regret for this morning, I think should have given that guard a stupid look on his face while I walked away. That would make it quits for both of us. I could have been considered as a threat to the security of the passengers. But I am nothing as compared to that small but big threat to the state.
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