Netizen Alodia Catrina Santos recounts how one of her female relatives was almost kidnapped as she was waiting for a cab in Philcoa.
There were other young girls inside the van
According to her post, which has been shared over 13,000 times on Facebook, one of her relatives was apparently waiting for a cab in Philcoa, Quezon City. Suddenly, a man grabbed her and dragged her to an unmarked van.
She writes, "As she was waiting for a cab, a man grabbed her and started dragging her to a (non-plated) van. Fortunately, she started screaming and fighting back. The jeepney barkers (bless them!) came to her help and fought the man, giving her a chance to escape. The man jumped back to the van as it sped away. She caught a glimpse of the inside of the van and saw other young girls (about 6) hands tied and crying, with 2 men "sitting guard" by the door."
She adds, "We are of course, very VERY grateful that she escaped. But I can't shake the horrible image of those other poor girls. Am sharing this now to express the need for vigilance for all."
Read the full post below:
Know how to keep yourself safe
These days, it's very important to know what you can do in order to keep you and your family safe. It's also very important that we teach our kids how to protect themselves, and let them know what they can do to keep safe.
- Always be aware of your surroundings. It's pretty easy to get distracted, especially if you're commuting or if on your phone. That's why it's very important to keep yourself aware of your surroundings so that you can immediately respond if you see a threat.
- Trust your gut. More often than not, your instincts about a certain situation are on point. Which is why if you feel unsure or unsafe about a certain place or person, then you should avoid it.
- Keep away from people who look suspicious. If you think that a person might be following you, or if their behavior seems very erratic, you should try and keep yourself way away from that person. In the long run, it's better to be safe than sorry.
- Don't talk to strangers. It might seem rude, but some criminals try to build your trust through conversation. The best thing to do here would be to just avoid talking to people you don't know.
- Have a phone handy. A phone is a pretty useful thing to have with you at all times. You can use it to call for help, or inform someone ASAP if anything has happened to you.
- In case someone tries to kidnap or attack you, draw attention to yourself. If someone's trying to attack you, or kidnap you, do your best to draw attention to yourself. Shout, kick, scream, do anything so that the kidnapper starts to get discouraged. They won't bother with you if you draw enough attention to yourself.
Source: facebook.com, powertochange.com
READ: Taiwanese national kidnaps own daughter and takes her to Baguio
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