Beware of criminals posing as accident victims, traders told

MANILA, Philippines–The head of the Ermita police station in Manila has warned businessmen to be alert whenever their vehicles get involved in a collision, saying the accident may have been caused deliberately by car thieves or, worse, kidnappers.

“When you are in your car and you get bumped by another car, don’t step out of your vehicle. Instead, call the police,” Supt. Romeo Macapaz told members of the Ermita-Malate Business Owners Association (Emboa) during a meeting last week to discuss the group’s security concerns.

“There are some criminals who will crash their car into yours and then, when you get out of the car, they will steal it, or worse, abduct you,” said the head of Station 5 which oversees security in Ermita.

“Thank God this hasn’t happened in Manila [yet] but in other places, it has. In Manila, there are many crooks: former policemen, people pretending to be policemen, even real policemen, among others. So it’s very difficult to know your enemy. If you get in trouble, you can just call me,” Macapaz told the group of businessmen.

For their part, members of the Emboa, which is composed of large hotels, restaurants and other businesses in Manila’s Ermita-Malate tourist belt, thanked Macapaz and the Ermita police for their efforts in securing the area.

“We continue to pledge cooperation to the police in keeping Ermita and Malate a safe place to visit,” said Michelle Pe, Emboa president. “If we want to attract more tourists here, we must all commit to maintain peace and order in our neighborhood.”