Today I had an encounter with philippino police. Just yesterday the australian dude who has lived here 16y explained me, that never go to court, never argue. You will always lose. There is a term WWD. This means 'White While Driving' ie it doesn't matter what happened, the local guy will be right and you wrong. Better pay whatever is asked. While listening I hoped I will never have to deal with the police. Doesn't sound an outrageous dream.
So I returned the bike today and even fit a list to the local jeepney (kind of a bus) station to go to the pier. I was sitting there already and then a guy comes over with the bike again, shows at the scratched windshield and claims that it was damaged. Indeed there were quite some scratches. As I had never seen them before it really took me by surprise and I denied everything. The guy was saying something in Tagalog, but I only could get 'police'. Everyone in the jeepney seemed supportive of me and the driver even laughed at his request. I tell you, I was not laughing. And then the guy followed us around a bit and then disappeared. Thing is, I didn't even know who this guy is. I had rented the bike from someone else. He just took me to the jeepney station.
Jeepney driver told me not to worry and said they should have checked the bike when I returned it. When I got to the port and made my way to the boat, I was greeted by the police. Here we go!
I put on my most innocent, friendly, yet shocked face. I was glad that I had put on long trousers which hid the scratches and afraid at the same time they will look for evidence on my body.
The police were suprisingly friendly and even handsom, but I was too busy lying to really pay attention. So I confessed to one of the falls. Made a whole story out of it and said that they can even call my guesthouse as the people there helped to get the bike up again and we checked together that all is good with the bike.
I stressed also that I gave the bike back and nobody said anything. Only later they come with this claim. How do I know, maybe something happened to the bike after I had given it back? The last claim was pretty hard to state, but I had started to believe in my own story (I had actually sincerely forgot that the bike had fallen three times, though me only twice), so I managed.
In the end the police said that as I had the bike three days and the 1 hour, it is probable that something happened while I had it. They can not force me, but there guy is asking for little money, to fix the bike. Luckily police also mentioned what this little money could be, so I gave 6 euros. I apologised 'if it really was my fault'. The police said I'm a kind person.
After that I took off as fast as I could trying to still keep innocent enough pace. Soon Cagayan island was behind me. I console myself with the fact that the bike rides perfectly. And I gave half of a pineapple to a beggar lady later in the day. That probably doesn't count too much. She didn't even want it, but then I said OK, I will eat it then. Then she changed her mind and took the bag with the pineapple. The police saw it and thought she is stealing from me. Gosh. What a day.
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