Page 39 - The Flame

told her that she had bubble gum on her hair. September near the Dapitan gate, Sazon hopes that additional
“I checked and saw chewed bubble gum all over my hair. It CCTVs can help provide extra protection to students even outside
was so disgusting that was why I got distracted when all of a sud- the campus.
den two guys attacked and held me up. They were holding ribbed However, another student who requested anonymity said
knives. I was not able to scream for help because I was too scared. otherwise, “the University should just increase the number of
They grabbed my purse then ran away, leaving me traumatized,” guards instead of focusing more on CCTV cameras.”
she said. “I was too scared to ask for help. I just rode a cab, went Meanwhile, Sazon pointed out that security guards must un-
straight home, and paid the fare at home.” dergo continuous training and keep themselves up-to-date with
She lost her Blackberry 9800, Blackberry 9700, iPod Classic, the routines being practiced by scoundrels to effectively neutral-
and P7,000 cash due to the incident. ize them.
Another robbery incident that was reported along Dapitan “Sana may continuous training ang mga security guards para
street involved a first year Asian Studies student. informed sila kung ano yung mga nangyayaring masama ngay-
She narrated that when she arrived late in her morning on...kung may continuous training sila, malalaman nila at magig-
class, she noticed that the front pocket of her bag was already ing equipped sila,” he said.
unzipped, finding out later that both her money and credit card Likening security guards’ jurisdiction to that of the military,
were missing. Badinas claimed that security guards in UST has “territorial pow-
“I was really nervous and shocked that I texted my mom about er” in the confines of the University “in order to ensure the safe-
the incident. I immediately asked her to freeze my
account,” she said. “Students should report (crime) incidents
Meanwhile, another incident involving a
fourth year Journalism student happened inside to the (security) office for record purposes.
the campus just recently. Through this, we can do something about it
It was past 10 in the evening when she and
her group mate met in the Engineering building to and even tap the police for coordination,”
work on their thesis. - UST Security Head Joseph Badinas
“While we were working, a man wearing black
sando and shorts sat near us. I thought he was just a construction ty” of Thomasians.
worker from the sports complex. The man made his move inch- Consisting of about 80 security guards, Badinas said that secu-
by-inch, and I was just caught off-guard when I found out that he rity protection in UST has two types—the so-called full force used
was already sitting right next to me,” the student said during regular school days and whenever there is an event inside
She further narrated that when they came face-to-face; the the University; and the skeletal force, which makes use of fewer
man pulled his shorts down, revealing his crotch. Out of shock, security guards, often used on Holidays and days wherein there
she quickly left the table, leaving her laptop behind. The man are no classes.
took the opportunity and grabbed the device. “Protecting the students is our main duty and fundamental
“My friend asked him why he took my laptop. We even called priority as security guards,” Badinas said.
his attention. He was about to leave when I shouted ‘guard, guard
magnanakaw ‘yan!’ Other people who heard me also shouted the Students’ fault
same. The man was apprehended and was eventually brought to Meanwhile, Badinas said that most of time, students become
the Security Office where I filed my complaint,” she said. victims of crimes due to their own negligence.
According to UST Security Head Joseph Badinas, loss of per- “Minsan, ang mga students din ang pabaya,” he said.
sonal belongings is the common complaint they receive. Scoun- Sazon pointed out the same thing saying that, “students go to
drels that enter the campus use the Church and the UST Hospi- school wearing jewelries, using expensive gadgets while walking
tal as alibis. He cited the Grandstand area as the hot spot where on the street. Why do they do that if they know they are vulnera-
these incidents often occur. ble? Walang magnanakaw kung wala silang nakikitang pwedeng
nakawin,” Sazon said.
Not enough Badinas added that although they have done things to im-
To ensure the security of students, the Security Office per- prove the security inside the campus, he complained that some
forms different safety strategies. Despite the efforts, security students do not report vicious incidents they encounter inside
problems in UST still exist and students remain unsatisfied with the University.
the security measures. “Students should report such incidents to the office for record
Students complain that the number of security personnel the purposes. Through this, we can do something about it and even
University provides is not sufficient to protect the entire popu- tap the police for proper coordination,” Badinas said in Filipino.
lation of the University. One of the victims who refused to be Sazon’s solution to this problem is to have a solid information
named said that “there are times when some guards neglect their dissemination campaign.
duty.” “Pwedeng magkaroon ng information dissemination cam-
Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) Vice President Exter- paign para alam ng mga students kung saan magre-report o
nal Rhodel Sazon emphasized that security protection must not magtatanong kapag may ganoong nangyari sa kanila o sa mga
only be exercised inside the University. He noted that the school kakilala nila,” he said.
perimeter should also be included, adding that student groups
have been working on project proposals to solve security issues Preventive measures
in campus. One of them is the installation of additional Closed The security office blacklisted several personalities appre-
Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to be placed on strategic loca- hended inside the University for illicit acts to prevent them from
tions covering the perimeter of the campus. entering the campus. Security personnel are ordered to peruse
“Ang proposal namin is to install CCTV cameras sa walls ng the “blacklist book” before manning their respective post.
university kasi ‘yun yung immediate environment ng mga stu- According to Badinas, reported crimes inside the University
dents paglabas nila ng school,” he said. are forwarded to the proper authorities with or without the stu-
Citing an incident wherein an Artlets student was stabbed last dent’s complaint. F

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