The Ateneo parking lot incident

Jojo Robles’ column yesterday was about two e-mails that had been circulating around for the past couple of days. I received the first e-mail four days ago from Ben Razon to whom it had been forwarded by someone else. Let me quote the text in full.

This happened to my sister-in-law just this morning at the ateneo campus. Alarming and I thought you would be wary too of this kind of people, especially driving mothers (like me). Wala tayong kalaban-laban sa mga lalaking ganito! Kilala nyo ba siya kaya?…

Hi Ette, Something scary happened to me today at around 11:30 a.m. at the Ateneo parking area along the alternate road leading to Gate3. I arrived at the area at around 9:00 a.m. The parking area was already full. However, I noticed that some cars were parked far apart from each other and that their drivers can be requested to move closer to each other to accommodate my small Honda City. I approached the owner of a gray Toyota Camry with plate number UNY 220. He was sleeping inside his car so I tapped lightly and apologetically requested him to move his car. He refused to move, asserting that I cannot fit into the space. He told me to bother the driver beside him instead. I left him alone because I did not want to be a nuisance. The other vehicle was a van driven by a family driver. He was also sleeping, mind you, but he graciously moved his van. I was finally able to park but it was a very tight fit. If the owner of the Camry had moved as well, it would have been perfect.

However, I did not want to bother the man who was clearly irritated. At 11:30 a.m., I arrived at my car with the two boys in tow. I was so shocked to find the man owning the Camry to be waiting for me. As I approached, he opened his window and said, “PUTANG INA MO!” in front of my two kids and his son who was seated at the back of his car covering his ears. He continued his assault and said, “You don’t wake up people and manipulate them.” I told him in a calm voice that I apologized to him and left him alone because he didn’t want to be bothered. He kept on accusing me of being manipulative (I don’t even know why? It was just a request). And this is where it gets scary. He threatened me and said that IT IS PEOPLE LIKE ME HE PUTS A GUN TO THE HEAD TO. I asked him if he was connected to the military and he said, “E ikaw, sino ka ba?” I said I was just a simple housewife. He then proceeded to call me stupid over and over again. I just let it pass because I didn’t want to provoke him. He has a PPSA (Philippine Practical Shooting Association) sticker at the back and he just might make good his threat.

Luckily, I still had enough wits about and was able to get his plate number and his picture through my cellphone camera. I immediately reported this incident to Mr. Leoncio D. Miralao, Administrator of the ADMU Physical Plant. This person is highly volatile and I don’t want my boys, or any other child for that matter, anywhere near him. He might start shooting people if he gets into another altercation. What shocks me is that he is an Ateneo parent (a parent!) who should be reinforcing the Ignatian values that the Ateneo has been diligently drilling into our children. Furthermore, I’m sure the PPSA espouses responsible gun ownership and will certainly frown upon this member’s behavior. Attached is his picture and you should be well-advised to steer clear of him if ever you see him around Ateneo!

The e-mail had an attachment — a photo of the male driver that the woman was complaining about. First impression? Well……

When I received the e-mail, it had apparently been forwarded several times already. One of the comments among the earlier recipients was “Any friendly broadsheets out there?” But I did not even forward the e-mail, much less write a column about it. Anyone can make up a story and considering people’s penchant for intrigue, on the internet especially, it’s easy to start and spread rumors. I did ask Ben, however, if the woman was willing to execute an affidavit and to provide proof that she reported the matter to the Ateneo authorities. You know, because without credible evidence, it’s a recipe for libel. I was not sticking my neck out for someone I don’t even know and for a story that I could not verify.

Anyway, later that night, I asked Speedy to look at the photo. Speedy is a member of PPSA and ARMSCOR (and we do have a PPSA sticker on the car) and he might know the guy. He didn’t.

A day later, the guy’s story came out and Ben forwarded the e-mail. The full text follows.

A friend of mine received an e-mail and she was so shocked at what it contained. Its main gist was to destroy my name and image. And so I am writing you to narrate what really happened.

Devil in grade school parking

On Thursday, August 7,2008, exam week, I parked my car at 6:45 am in the parking lot along the football field fronting the Blue Eagle Gym. This is my daily routine. I do my chores or sleep in the car while waiting for dismissal time. I was sleeping when a woman disturbed my sleep just to tell me to move my car so that she could squeeze hers in. After looking around, I told her it would be impossible as we would be like sardines. She said she would even talk to 2 drivers beside me to also move. Imagine, her daily modus operandi of coming late and asking 3 drivers to move just to accommodate her! Coming late during exam week, when car volume is tripled, means that she has to park near the softball field already. And this is what she cannot accept–that she has to walk far because she arrives late. Ang taba kasi. Slots are fully taken by 7:30 am. Maybe I look like a driver too, so she thought she
could manipulate me also like her regular victims.

So after turning down her request, I went back to sleep. At around 10:20 am, I woke up shockingly to find my left side blocked! She parked her car 6 inches away, almost hitting the left rear door. I could not go out of the car! Even if she manipulated the driver to the left, her car only went in the small slot 3/4 of the way. Thus her engine was blocking the doors.

So I waited 30 minutes for her return but she did not. So I got out the right side and fetched my kid. We entered again inconveniently through the right side. We were about to leave–the car was already in first gear when, lo and behold, she arrived with her kids. I just looked at her, telling myself what king (kind?) of a woman is this. She then approaches her driver door to enter.

Again, me and my kid get my 2nd shock of the morning when she slams open her door to hit my driver door! This prompted my kid to blurt out, “Daddy, what was that!” At that point, after forgiving her first 2 mischievousness, my blood boiled. I opened my window and cursed her. This was the last straw as this was physical and already destruction of another’s property. And so the parking altercation she was seeking happened. If she wants to insinuate that I am a military man and that I own a gun, just by looking at t-shirt logos and car stickers, then that is her personality disorder. If she fought with an Ateneo student wearing a taekwando t-shirt, she would surely say, this kid kicked me!

Napahiya itong babae sa kanyang mga kaibigan na driver when I turned down her request. Just like a kid who throws a tantrum because he did not get his lollipop.

This manipulator, trouble-maker, and blackmailer should be stopped. If she wants me to be an internet star, then that is her right. But she has besmirched the Ateneo name as she wants her friends to e-mail the whole world with her version and with my smiling picture. I was smiling because I had no guilt. If I was guilty, then I would have tried to hide my face and attempted to grab her cell phone. She even lied further by stating that she apologized. She never did and instead blocked my exit.

I just don’t want other people to be blackmailed by her again. She uses her cell phone and internet in a malicious manner. On her next traffic incidents, she will again threaten the drivers with her cell phone camera which she adores. Ang babaw ano.

Now you know the real story partner. Thanks. Joe.

Obviously, they can’t be both telling the truth. My question to Ben was how much of each version could be true and how much could be lies? Jojo Robles was smart. He didn’t jump either after reading the woman’s e-mail. He wrote about the incident after reading both versions. Someone desperate would have taken advantage of the scoop and beat every newspaper writer to it.

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