A must read before you travel to Indonesia

I would like share a blog post by a fellow blogger. This is regarding her awful experience in Indonesia where she and her companion was harassed by airport security/police.

My Traumatic Experience as an Alleged DRUG TRAFFICKER in Bali Indonesia

By: Chyng Reyes 

For first time readers..
My name is Chyng Reyes. I graduated with a degree of Electronics and Communications Engineering in a state university in Intramuros. I work in a BPO company in MoA complex as part of Systems Development team. Im a blogger who frequently travels. And Im an individual who has never taken prohibited drugs.

mga BINTANG-ero kayo!

My friend Dyanie and I planned an SG-Bali trip for our birthdays. We took Airphil's Manila-SG flight last May 26, 2011.

Dyanie was held in the Immigration simply because she cant present her company ID. She was suspected na mag-paiwan sa SG to work, and never return to Pinas. This experience alone was heart pounding- though it's only a matter of being approved and being declined to fly to SG. So what more if it's a matter of life and death...


Last May 28, we flew from SG to Bali via Airasia.
Airasia's airbus was full of different nationalities. But Dyanie and I were the only Filipinos on board. We landed in Denpasar airport at almost 11:40pm. We lined up in the Xray machines for our luggage to be scanned.

The moment the officer saw my passport - he carried my luggage. He asked me "is this yours?" I said yes. What could be wrong with my luggage.. The officer scanned our hands too. We don't have any idea what's that for so we asked him. He answered "secret".

After he scanned our hands with that stick, he looked at me and said "come and follow me." He looked to Dyan and said "you also."

omg. what's wrong?!

So in front of all passengers of Airasia that night (na malalaki ang katawan, at yung iba may tattoo, at sila pa yung mukhang harmful kesa samin), kami pa ni Dyan ang mukhang may drugs! We followed the officer because we dont have a choice. We obeyed him, as if we already did something wrong. All other passengers were staring at us..

syet.. anong meron sa bag ko. at anong marks ang nakita nya sa kamay namin? kinabahan ako. this isnt just the usual immigration thing. this is something serious!

We entered the holding room. There were 3 officers inside. 2 males and a lady officer. "Meet my Filipina friend. She was caught hiding packs of heroins in her luggage" said the officer. Sabay turo sa picture frames sa wall nila. It seemed like a gallery of drug traffickers from all over the world. He reminded me that DEATH is the PENALTY of those drug traffickers.

Paksyet. It's matter of life and death in the hands of these Indonesian Police Officers..

They offered something to drink but we refused.
Yoko nga, baka dahil jan sa drinks na yan magkaron pa ng drugs substance sa katawan namin..

"Do you know her?" asked the officer as he was pointing to the girl in the picture frame. - I answered no.
"Did you take drugs?" - Of course not!
"Did you have drugs hidden in your body?" - What?! Never!

nagpanting yung tenga ko. galit na galit ako. at the same time nalungkot. bakit ganun, tagged na ang pinoys as drug traffickers dahil sa kasalanan ng iilan..

"Let's check your bag".
The officer searched my things thoroughly. I was just looking at him. He checked every compartment of my luggage too.

Ang lakas ng kaba ng dibdib ko. I knew he could frame me up. At wala na kong laban if that happens. Nasa teritoryo nila kami.
Ansama sama ng loob ko. Dahil lang Pinoy kami, instant suspect na agad kami.

After he messed with all my things and found nothing, I asked the officer what could be wrong and why was he checking us. He just answered "because the 2 of you are beautiful girls."

putangina mo, nakikipag-cooperate kami sa inyo. naabala at napahiya na kami kanina pa. kaya sana sumagot ka ng maayos kung may tinatanong kami.


For the 3rd time, we went outside the holding room to scan my luggage. I was really very nervous (and irritated). I could imagine him almost saying that he found something in my bag. Remember, he was holding my bag all the time. I never had the chance to touch it again..

you dont trust us. and we dont trust you either. the feeling is mutual. ang advantage lang, nasa Indonesia tayo. at kayo ang may authority.


Now they looked to Dyan. The lady officer asked her if she was hiding drugs in her belly. Of course she answered no. The other officer ordered a body check on her.


as narrated by Dyan:
Gusto ko man magsabi ng ayoko ng body check, wala akong nagawa. Bansa nila yan. So sunod lang ako sa gusto nila. Pumasok kami sa Body Check Room. Inikot ko yung mata ko to check if there are surveillance cameras. Tapos ni-lock ko yung pinto. Tinanong ko si lady officer kung bakit namin to ginagawa. May 3 pinay daw na nahulihan ng drugs sa loob ng tyan nila. Sympre di ko alam kung totoo nga yun. Pinahubad nya ko ng damit. As in HUBAD lahat. The only body part na hinawakan nya ay ang tyan ko. Pero nakaka-harassed pa din. Wala naman siyang nakitang kakaiba.


no offense pero meron ba silang extensive training na by just touching a body part malalaman na kung may drugs dun? ang hirap maniwala. they cant even speak straight english to start with. mayabang lang sila. pero wala silang masyadong alam.

Now back in the holding room, and I was with the other 2 male officers. They started bragging that they captured all of the drug traffickers in the picture frame. Im still not sure what will happen next as they never told us anything.

What now!? gusto nyo lang may mapatunayan kayo at may madagdag kayong picture jan sa wall nyo?!

Im so proud of Dyan. She went back in the room and still didnt breakdown. I knew I will start crying too if I see her terrified.
pero sa totoong buhay daw, sobrang takot na nya na masesetup kami.
Dyan said I dont look scared at all too. I just look very irritated.
pero sa totoo lang, nafi-feel kong anytime sasabihin ng officers na may nakita sila sa bag namin.. at di na kami makakauwi ng Pinas. =(



After 1.5 hours, they finally let us go. Wala silang nakita. They thanked us for being cooperative pero di ko pinansin yung hand shake offer nila. Galit na galit ako. Pero alam ko bawal ako magsalita. Hindi rin sila nagsorry sa abala na ginawa nila. Para san pa, wala na kaming gana na pumasok ng Bali. Sirang sira yung bakasyon namin dahil sa ganitong pagwelcome nila sa Pinoy.
Sabagay their sorry wont be enough. Kulang yan sa kahihiyan, sobrang takot, trauma, at paranoia na inabot namin dahil sa kanila. Ang sama sama ng loob ko. Putangina nyo!


We met the hotel driver who's been waiting for us since 11:40PM. We finally went out of the airport at 1:30AM. I thanked the driver for waiting for us. He wasn't surprised that we were the last to go out. Sabi nya, kapag Pinoy chinecheck daw muna.


Ah ganun..
Dahil lang may mga Pinoy na drug trafficker, lahat ng Pinoy drug traffickers na agad?!


So it's also fair to call all Indonesian Policemen RAPISTS?!

Indonesian Policemen RAPISTS!
http://en.rian.ru/Religion/20100114/157540293.html

Indonesian Policeman CHILD RAPIST!

http://arsipberita.com/show/indonesia-police-rapes-nine-yr-old-girl-206964.html

How about call all Policemen DRUG DEALERS because of this?

Indonesian Officers DRUG DEALERS

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/anti-narcotics-officers-busted-for-drugs/442310

Or can I tag all Indonesian ADDICTS sabagay 51 thousand locals nila ay junkies?

51 Thousand Drug Addict Indonesians
http://equal-life.blogspot.com/2009/05/thousands-of-people-die-in-indonesia.html

Fair enough?

I hope if an Indonesian visits Pinas, ma-tag din sila as RAPISTS, DRUG DEALERS, and ADDICTS instantly! Maramdaman nila sana yung treatment nila samin.. Yan ang rules nila di ba?



Sa sobrang takot ni Dyanie, she cried to sleep that night. Tulala. Di nagsasalita.
Sa sobrang galit ko, di ako nakatulog. I started vomiting. Hinika din ako sa sama ng loob.
Wala pa kaming 2 oras sa Bali pero gustong gusto na namin umuwi ng Pinas. Sirang sira ang bakasyon namin.



Putangina nyo! Naging praning na kami everytime may police kaming makikita. Or everytime dadaan kaming xray, paulit ulit muna naming pinapagpag ang bawat damit namin - oras oras - just to check na walang naisingit na drugs sa gamit namin. We're so traumatized that we wont be planning to go out of the country anytime soon.

DEATH for DRUG TRAFFICKERS
and it wont matter if the DRUGS found is really yours
ako na ang praning

We swore not to go back to Indonesia again. We already suffered a lot. We regret the day we entered this country.
And if you are planning to go to Bali too, well good luck. The next suspect could be you.

http://www.chyngreyes.com/2011/06/my-traumatic-experience-as-alleged-drug.html

Extraordinary Online Video Contest Awarding & Bloggers Fest At Thunderbird Resorts Rizal

On April 16, 2011, Thunderbird Resorts awards the winning Extraordinary Video to bag the much-coveted P100k cash prize and Vacation Getaway. The awarding proper takes place at Thunderbird Resorts Rizal’s newly-opened Event Center.

“What Makes You Extraordinary?” was the question posted in the contest, wherein participants must answer by submitting a video best explaining their reasons. By the end of February 2011, a total of 58 video entries were received which were then posted online for the voting period that ran from March 1to 25 2011.

The Grand Prize Winner is determined by a panel of judges that includes Anton Diaz of OurAwesomePlanet.com, videographer Bob Nicolas, Prof. Patrick Campos of the UP Film Institute and Thunderbird Resorts Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Felbin Soto. While the Five Consolation Prizes of P10k Thunderbird Resorts GC, P5k Cash Prize and Enjoy Philippines card is based on the Five Most Voted Videos. An Apple iPad also awaits the Favorite Video shot at Thunderbird Resorts.

Happening on the same day, Thunderbird Resorts is also the host of this year’s Bloggers Fest – an activity-filled day that includes seminars and workshops with expected attendees of about 200 bloggers from various categories. Azrael Coladilla explains on manilabloggers.blogspot.com, “The objective of the event is to have a venue for free mentorship on blogging and as well as networking with Filipino bloggers and participating companies.”

“Inspired from last year’s Bloggers Fiesta Manila, the Bloggers Fest features co-bloggers to serve as speakers on different topics and to share their experiences and give tutorials on how to have a successful blog site,” Coladilla added.

Thunderbird Resorts’ thrust is to create extraordinary experiences for its guests, giving them a luxurious vacation lifestyle with each stay. It holds two world-class properties here in the Philippines catering to leisure, sports, recreation and entertainment activities. One is located in the highland oasis of Binangonan, Rizal; the other Mediterranean-inspired property is in the peninsula of Poro Point in San Fernando, La Union. Through the online video contest and bloggers event, Thunderbird Resorts shares this Extraordinary experience and more.

Special thanks to Zest Air as the event’s major sponsor and in partnership with Travelbook.ph, Nuffnang, Enjoy Philippines, Baicapture, SolidHosting.PH, Dependable Printing, Perfect Renders and Manila Bloggers Network.

For more information, visit www.thunderbird-asia.com.

The Big Bad Blogger

So, who want's to invest on thebigbadblogger.com OR bigbadblogger.com ??? ^_^ The last time I've checked, it's till available at Moniker. ^_^

Anyway, so who really is this notorious Big Bad Blogger with The PR Firm? Any guess? For those who know--clues, maybe??? ^_^ Pretty Please? ^_^ You can e-mail it to me...I promise I won't tell *wink* ^_^

So, for those of you who are asking/thinking, what am I talking about? Big Bad Blogger???

Well, to tell you honestly, before, I only thought of it. The "what if there's such a person/group/company/firm?" And it's only this morning that I saw, online, about an article that would confirm my malicious thoughts. Indeed, there is/are bloggers and PR company/s that would extort big amounts of money from establishment owners in exchange for a good/positive review, and if you decline...they will post a negative review that would jeopardize your entire business. Totally unfair!

Here's the link to the said article: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20110122-315972/Please-Dont-Give-Blogging-a-Bad-Name

So I thought, it's a male blogger. Here are some clippings from the site:

Only one person came to my mind. I am very new to blogging, so I know this will be unfair. But, I only know one popular, male food blogger in the Metro...And since the popular Carlos Celdran had already asked on his Facebook, I though, I might as well...Anton, are you the BBB?

But, Anton Diaz, on one of his blog post's comment section, simply stated that he is not the Big Bad Blogger. Kudos to Anton, for handling the issue quietly and maturely.

I guess this is one of the downsides of being popular?

Never the less, I do hope that Ms. Margaux Salcedo would come up with another article or an explanation for this issue. Because, the news certainly brought some damage to the credibility of other well known bloggers (other than Anton) as well as the entire Food Blogging industry. So please, name them...

Also, naive as it may sound, the article (Please don't Give Blogging a Bad Name)--even in the tiniest way, somehow, gave the blogging industry a "bad image",  but I know Ms. Margaux meant well, to make BBB and The PR Firm stop...So, thank you very much, Ms. Margaux for exposing the evil deeds of BBB & The PR Firm.

And to all the restaurant owners as well as future restaurateurs and investors, don't fret. There are a lot of honest bloggers that would make your business prosper. If you know that you make good food and have quality service, then people will love you and certainly come back. One or two negative feedback from one Big Bad Blogger will certainly not win against 100++ positive reviews from Honest Bloggers.

Karma...

Beware! Do Not Ride These Manila Taxis!

Early this morning, I received an e-mail from a very reliable source, regarding dangerous Taxi cabs.

This is an exact copy of the said e-mail, and I will quote:

 " PLEASE BEWARE!
         Just to give you a warning, avoid riding cabs with names like
         Wallis, Romcat & Lucky8.
         All these taxis are owned by just one family and most of its
         drivers are muggers, rapists or simply swindlers.   According
         to the driver who is the source of this information, he used to
         work for the said company but lasted for only 2 days since he
         couldn't bear the idea of "manggagantso" .

         He said there is no single unit of this company that doesn't
         cheat. Each and every car that they own has "batingting" that
         is used to manipulate the taxi meter.
         Further, the driver also informed that the owners hire anyone
         even if the person has a criminal record. As a matter of fact,
         the owners are fully aware of their drivers' misconduct yet
         they turn a blindeye on it coz what matters most to them is the
         boundary of their drivers that's to be given to them at the end
         of the day.
           He also said that prior to leaving, he found out that one of
         his co-drivers mugged his passenger and even touched her
         private parts. When the passenger filed a legal complaint about
         it, naturally the driver got apprehended but was released
         because of bail.
         Immediately the next day, the very same criminal was hired back
         by their company and was out driving his unit again.

         He said you will be able to recognize the taxi units of this
         company even at night since their taxi logos on top of their
         roof have a unique lighting. Instead of the usual yellow light
         on the "taxi" sign, theirs are red.

         Prior to writing this, there was a research about the taxi
         company and it was found out that they have been featured in
         one of the shows in GMA-7 (Imbestigador) . Indeed they have
         proven that the drivers of this company are swindlers and
         muggers.
         If you care about your family, friends, co-workers, classmates
         And other people close to you, pass this information along. We          can never tell who their next victim will be. "

Due to this information, an office building in Makati, managed by the Ayala Property Management Corporation, has already informed and instructed its security personnel, NOT TO entertain these Taxi cabs, and to quote:

" Dear All,

For your awareness, I had also instructed my Security Personnel not to allow these taxi companies on our drop off area. "

To all my readers (if there are any ^_^) Let us all be very vigilant. Take heed every day. Inform your friends, coworkers, relatives and love ones. I know this e-mail has been circulating the internet for a couple of years now, but, I don't care. I will post it again. We can never be too sure if those taxi cabs have stopped doing what they do best.

So for everyone's safety, Pls. continue to spread the words!