A Caucasian male speaking with an American accent roams the Makati Central Business District at night and victimizes unsuspecting female employees, asking them for money.
“He said his wallet got stolen and needed to raise funds to go to Pasay, ” says Jaja, an online English teacher working in one of the skyscrapers at the Makati CBD. At around 11:30pm last Friday night, Jaja and her friend Ave were standing in front of the Philippine Stock Exchange building when the suspect approached a group of three ladies next to them. They heard the whole story and watched as the three victims fished out their wallets and handed the man some bills. Jaja and Ave felt so sorry for him that they even wanted to run after him and give him some cash even if he didn’t ask.
“Before he crossed the street, he did the sign of the cross and we felt more compassion for him because he’s a Catholic,” Jaja says.
On Monday night, at about the same time, the same man approached Jaja and Ave along Sedeño street with the same story, only that he needed to go to Zambales—-210 kilometres away from Manila—-instead of Pasay. Having recognized him, Ave said “We saw you last Friday. You asked some money from a group of girls.”
The man, with his act busted, said “I don’t remember you,” and walked away.
He is said to be about 5”7”-5′9”, probably in his late thirties, with dark eyes, dark hair, and a high nose. He is of medium built, but looks very athletic, with toned muscles. The two nights Jaja saw him he was wearing shorts, a tight shirt, trainers and a backpack. His skin is deeply tanned and the most notable feature, according to witnesses, are the wrinkles around his eyes.
The same man approached law student and Makati office-goer Aileen about two months ago at the corner of Chino Roces Avenue (formerly Pasong Tamo) and Kalayaan Avenue at around 4:30 am. He asked for directions going to Zambales. Aileen’s companion, Haydee, had been a previous victim and she recognized the man. The two girls simply said they couldn’t help him and quickly hailed a cab. Haydee told Aileen her story.
She had recently arrived in Manila from General Santos City and went out with four of her friends. On Ayala Avenue the man approached them and asked for monetary assistance. The girls, feeling bad for the poor foreigner whom they thought had been a victim of Pinoy conmen, pooled their money and gave him 500 pesos. That shoul’dve been enough for him to get some dinner, make necessary phonecalls, and even go to the US Embassy for help. Months later, he’s still asking for money.
This kind of trick is not at all new, but since the perpetrator is a foreigner, the victims are more easily convinced. The man probably earns a considerable amount of money with his panhandling since his victims feel embarrassed to give him only a small amount after his supposed bad experience in this country.
A native English speaker has plenty of employment opportunities in the Philippines, primarily in call centers where he or she may even be offered a higher salary compared to that of Filipino agents. Another option is to teach English in language centers for Koreans or Japanese, with these people being too eager to find a teacher speaking with that American twang. Most probably this panhandler has no legal documents to get a job in this country for him to resort to his scheme.
If he ever approaches you, it is best to just say you can’t give him anything and walk away.
