I am not surprised by the coincidence of my current poll on celebrities and politicos cutting in line and what you would do if that happened to you… I posted the poll before the news broke that a local mayor got into a ridiculous word match at a private village gate that refused him passage in compliance with the village rules. The whole episode was captured on CCTV and now it’s on youtube for all to see. Good grief, too bad that 80% of the populace that is likely to vote for people like these and their ilk don’t have access to the internet (but maybe they’ll get a glimpse of the brouhaha on television reports) or politicians like this wouldn’t have a snowflake’s chance of surviving hell in their elected posts. The whole episode is UTTERLY STUPID, INFURIATINGand in ANY OTHER DECENT CIVILIZED COUNTRY the Mayor would resign for such a dumbass incident. I particularly like the clarity in the video of being shielded from a light shower by and aide with umbrella, the clarity of an apparent bodyguard getting a gun and fiddling with it to prepare for what… a shootout over a refusal to grant passage to some self-important pseudo VIP? And the now explained “voluntary accompaniment to local police headquarters of security guards that were NOT arrested”. This kind of thing happens more often than we care to admit, and well, IT IS WRONG. Bravo to security guards that stood their ground. I am inclined to pass that gate in the next few days and hand them tins of homemade cookies, or a lechon meal or just a handshake and a smile. PLEASE RESIDENTS OF THIS WELL KNOWN CITY, CAN WE FINALLY GET RID OF THIS DYNASTIC FAMILY that seems to think this kind of behavior is acceptable?!
Cutting line was the original reason for the poll, and I posted the question because Mrs. MM had rapid-fire texted me in increasingly annoyed tones recently while trying to board a flight from Cebu to Manila. As she placed her luggage on the first airport xray for which there were long lines, this lady made singit (cut in) and placed her very conspicuously hot “IT” Celine bag in front of Mrs. MM’s stuff. Mrs. MM, a stickler for lines and folks who cut in (as I am), said something like “EXCUSE ME, THERE IS A LINE” and a security aide immediately blurted out “Mam, that is SARAH”. To which Mrs. MM said something like “Sarah who? I don’t care if she’s the Queen, she shouldn’t cut line.” Elbowed and glared at, Mrs. MM wasn’t about to allow a cut. At the business class check-in counter (where frequent fliers, even with economy tickets are checked-in), she was ahead of this “Sarah” and even the counter lady said “Ay mam, nasa likod mo si Sarah” to which she said, rather snarkily, “She’ll just have to wait in line until we are finished”. Frankly, it doesn’t matter at all if they are a nobody, a billionaire, a celebrity or a politico. Cutting line is just bad form, period. And particularly if you are in the public eye, it can’t do you much good. What enters these people’s brains that makes them think they are more deserving than others? That they can just cut into a line? That they should inconvenience others and not get called on it? It’s absurd. And because most pinoys DO NOTHING about it (CONTRARY to the poll results that show most MM readers speak up when faced with a similar situation) it happens with increasing regularity. I wish someone would put up a website with CCTV video of all of these types of folks when they cut line, I would visit that website every time they had a new video posted. :)
45 Responses
Bravo Mrs. MM!
Wow.
Sarah cutting in is so out of character – maybe “image” is the better term since I don’t really know her but have followed her career enough to see that on TV, she seems to be a gracious lady. Her actions are certainly inexcusable even if people come to her defense and say that her handlers sort of “made” her do it. She should know better. Even my kids, ages 4 and 2, abide by this rule of falling in line for anything.
The only acceptable excuse in my mind that would warrant a person cutting in would be a real emergency like someone needing medical assistance, and even for that, the person would have to be profuse in her apologies to each and every one along the line whom she bypasses.
Next time, they ought to come early if they don’t want to suffer through the long lines. Otherwise, they are just irritatingly “pa-importante”.
I did not know of the village guard incident until the video spread on FB, and thank goodness it did! The public should see how these politicos are power-tripping, and should really remember NOT to vote for them in the next election. So sad for the guards who just did their job and got “arrested” for it!
kudos to Mrs. MM for standing up to what is right. Hubby also wishes the same thing, a sort of website dedicated to such unacceptable behaviors.
I find it a bit more suprising that a ‘security’ aide would interject and say such a thing. Its even more interesting that this exchange happened at a checkpoint where carry-ons are x-rayed. So if personnel would have seen something suspicious in ‘Sarah’s’ bag, would they have been inclined to pull her aside and go through the next phase of inspections? It begs the question.
Well I had an incident last October checking in the security x-ray area in Manila PAL counter on my home to LA. The security guards stop us from loading our bags in the x-ray machine so this VIP and his entourage can cut in and get their bags check. Now as we check in the immigration area in LA the VIP was able to cut in the front of the line because he had a diplomatic passport but his entourage was ask to get in line, He pointed his group to go in front of our line so they can follow him. This is when I yelled and said “Hoy dito sa America may pila doon sa likod”. The immigration officer came by and asks about why I yelled. I told him that this guy was telling his group to cut in line. He was told that if he wanted to be with his group he has to get back in line which he did. I will not elaborate what was our conversational exchange while waiting to claim our luggage but it was not pleasant.
One of the things I am glad to be experiencing here in the US is the discipline and civility of people to wait in line, rich or poor. Something that pa-importanteng tao in the Philippines think they can get away from. I am not surprised by the behavior of that young mayor. Back in college, going to his classes, he has a bodyguard to hold his notebook for him. Really? how difficult is it to carry one piece of notebook? And mind you, he was just the son of a mayor then. One wonders what kayabangan he will exude if God forbids his father becomes president? Oh Lord, my gracious may it never be.
Had a similar experience in 2011, PAL Terminal 2,flight from YVR, passengers were lined up to go through Customs, a guy in polo barong who was accompanying a young man was going to cut the line…I called their attention and told them that there is a line and they should go to the back of the line…they could not react arrogantly bec. all the people that were lined up were looking at them and waiting for what they will do…good thing they sheepishly went to the back of the line, but as always it was “Welcome to the Philippines!” :)
Our Vancouver mayor rides the Skytrain or his bike to go to City Hall, even our Member of Parliament rides the Skytrain… local, even most federal politicians have no bodyguards.
I am still positive that hopefully in our lifetime, we will see the positive transition in the Phil. It is starting to happen already. Huwag lang tayong bibitaw!
A very merry Christmas to you, Marketman, Mrs. MM and the Teen. I truly enjoy reading your blog. Always brings me a taste of home, whatever the season of the year!!! All the best for 2014!
Iritasyon! “Sarah” should’ve been more circumspect and prevented her mignons from being “hawi” boys. Sandali- sino ba yang “Sarah” na yan? Sarah Balabagan? Sarah Ferguson? Sarah Palin? ;-)
MM, I first told you a story about 18 months ago when I first arrived here in Cebu, I was waiting in line at a taxi stand and someone cut in line, I said something and was told to “go back to my own country” . I lived in Japan for 4 years prior to coming here, and cutting in line there would NEVER happen, no matter who you thought you were.
Kudos to you and your wife for putting up a fight.
I’m a stickler (due to spending 25 years growing up in the US) for such things as well that one of these days, my spouse tells me, I will probably die of gunshot because I called somebody out for cutting in line.
A major part of the problem are the persons manning the other side. Just look when you buy something at a sari-sari store, people cutting in line , no queue and the person behind the counter randomly picks who gets to be served next. Totally frustrating and complete BS that gets me riled up. Our normal under-educated Pilipinos (80% of the population?) just don’t know or are just oblivious to the concept of queueing.
On the other side, some are emboldened to cut in line because majority of Pilipinos will not say anything and will just let it be. Bahala na ang Diyos sa kanila, while the line cutter gets away with it.
You see it everywhere…cars that counterflow are coddled by traffic enforcers instead of being ticketed thus getting actually ahead of those who patiently wait in their correct traffic lanes. I could go on and on…
He he, kasing taray ko pala si Mrs MM–biro lang :)
Mabuti at bibigyan daw ng Dasma Village Association ng Christmas baskets ang mga guards. Bless their heart always.
I thought NAIA was a no Wang-Wang zone. Huge signs are all over. I would encourage you to complain to the Airport General Manager or Dept of Transportation head honchos.
Re: Scott saying that cutting in line would never happen in Japan, well it did to me. At Narita Airport en route to Manila, as Business class was boarding, I was waiting for my turn to board and here comes the DFA secretary with his posse cutting in line. The Delta staff let him go through gladly. They would have genuflected and no one would be surprised. I was like, “NRT is a wang-wang zone after all”. Ironically, the one who cut in line is a Filipino Cabinet Official. TRAGIC! This is an educated person, a presidential appointee, who used to hold a diplomatic post in the name of Filipinos abroad. The worst thing is he did it twice. As I was going back to NRT, there he was again with his posse cutting in line at an airport declared a no Wang Wang zone.
Such fun in the Philippines….such fun.
Ugh the entitlement that goes with power, beauty, and fame.
Actually it’s everywhere, poor or rich
I guess people just don’t give a damn, it’s all about “me”
Syndrome.
Please abolish nephotism in politics,
90 million people afraid of the big guns.
When will we awake from the nightmare?
Also, that ninoy airport burn that place down!
That place reeks of annoying employees!!! Grr
This doesn’t have to be posted, it’s just
Frustrating. It’s like people overseas are so
Proud of being Pinoy but people in Pi just
Screw each other.
thanks to CCTVs
@TNM, I suppose you are right, never say never, for the most part my experience in japan was a good one as well as the 18 months I have been here in Cebu.
Frustrating and extremely annoying!
As far as the Dasmarinas incident, thank goodness for CCTV! It is what it is..Arrogance, complete with umbrella at past 10pm!
And the most infuriating part is to see the aide hoist an umbrella over the head of the mayor. Umbrella? On a rainless night? Imeldific power-tripping it is.
We went to Rome last year for the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod. Later that evening, we were at the Colosseum, sitting on one of the benches & just people watching. Out of the blue, police sirens & lights came & stopped few feet away from where we were. It was probably 6-7 cars convoy excluding the police car, coaster bus & 2 policemen on their motorcycles. Everybody stopped on their tracks literally! Someone very important is in one of the cars! I expected to see the Pope! But then, people coming out from the cars were speaking Filipino & looked very ordinary Filipinos! They excitedly take turns taking their pictures hurriedly. 10-15 mins of selfies and photo ops, the cars started reversing. The coaster bus was the second to the last vehicle & there he was! The VP. He didn’t get off the bus. He was seated few seats from the back by himself on his mobile, but the bus was almost empty!! Less than 10 people were in there. Was that really necessary? The police escorts? The convoy? Nakakahiya, grabe!
nasa huli ang pag CC… tv
Thats why I will never live there permanently, just once you bumped into a govt official or his relatives, they may kill you. Very uncivilized country. So sad
I always speak up when faced in this situation. Kumukulo kasi ang dugo ko sa mga sumisingit, I feel like they are stepping on me and well sa lahat. Im known to be mataray. I say Im not a passive person. :)
Cheers to Mrs.MM for holding her ground and telling them off! I tend to lose it when faced in this situation. I never seem to tell it nicely that ‘there is a line’ because it makes my blood boil as well!
As for the mayor..what an A#$%%HOLE!!!!!!! Those guards should be commended, thumbs down tho for the owner of the security agency who apologized.
So far the Filipinos here in Singapore have adapted to the queuing system. So it is possible to change our attitudes as long as the environment supports and expects that behaviour.
I remember we had a family member who was an immigration officer at the MIA decades back. He said that he gets calls from higher ups to facilitate/expedite the VIPS, so they don’t wait. He would carry the stamp on his person, so as soon as they arrive they are whisked away immediately. I don’t think he made money on that as his family lived modestly. He probably did it for job security reasons.
Thanks to CCTV for exposing this corrupt and dynastic family.
It was drizzling when the incident happened that’s why the umbrella was there to shield the pampered @$%&^*@#. The person who took the video mentioned that he was able to take a clear pic because he had an umbrella. I was so bothered by the security guard who has to get his gun, for what? But then again, the guards could have been easily killed right there and there or right after. The fact that this was publicized could have saved their lives. And, they have to apologized for doing their jobs? Such an outrage!
I witnessed a well dressed, senior (60ish), seemingly educated (she was carrying several books to buy) woman cut past my 6 year old daughter in line at national bookstore! It was so blatant and incredibly rude because she was waiting right BEHIND my daughter for more than 10 minutes, and as my daughter approached the single cashier during her turn, the woman literally brushed aside my daughter. It didn’t even take me a second to say “Excuse me!…” And she immediately pretended to sound off some apology like she never saw see my daughter at all! Such an imbecile!!!
It’s a shame that these people behave like a king & queen
Good for the readers/respondents if the results of the poll are accurate. However, when questions/polls are about behavior, people have a tendency to respond according to what their ideal behavior is, not their actual behavior. So while majority of the respondents said that they would raise a stink if someone cut in line, the actual number who would raise a stink will be (much) lower in real life. Especially because we Filipinos are averse to confrontations. But I agree that we should learn to speak up whenever we see bad behavior in public, and tell off the offending party/parties.
Yes please, what do we have to do to get rid of this family from this city? And the presidency, God forbid, because that is very much a foregone conclusion with their clout and all. If you know what clout comes with in this country DURING the elections with the easier to manipulate pros machine.
EdB., you are right, I think the poll results are skewed to a very small slice of the population… and people drawn to the MM way in some sense of the word… I find in reality, I am usually the one who speaks up, and others nod their heads in indignation, but they don’t raise a stink when they should. If we didn’t tolerate this kind of behavior, we wouldn’t encourage it…
It’s just a matter of time I think…when Filipinos who stand up for what is right will reach critical mass. I am hopeful that it will reach critical mass in my lifetime. Call me a wishful thinker but…if you think about it, what percentage of Filipinos would raise a stink in defense of what is right during the generation of our grandparents or even parents???
I think in the Philippines, it is all too common for these so-called celebrities who are full of kahambugan and kayabangan to cut in line because there are people who allow them to do it, without so much as a piyok…somehow, they feel intimidated and would just let it pass. The only way to stop this nonsense is for the Filipinos to stand up for their rights and put these mga taong bastos in their place. Bravo to Mrs. MM. and to all those who speak up when some arrogant and shameless person cuts in front of them.
Go Mrs. MM! Such a bad-ass! YEAH! :3
I’m not surprised with the Dasma incident since this is the same family who has a police escort/wang wangs when the wife/daughter goes to the mall. Thank God for CCTVs.
Kudos Mrs MM for calling out the line cutter. We need more people like her.
Outrageous. What irritates me even more than this uneducated “Sarah” buffoon are the airline personnel who are obviously feeding her entitlement. “Ay mam, nasa likod mo si Sarah.” WTF!? Are you kidding me? At ano ngayon?!? And yes, we absolutely have to get rid of this Napoleonic dynastic family. Ridiculous!
MM, “….poll results are skewed to a very small slice of the population” — Even among that small population, I honestly doubt if that many people will speak up right there and then. The truth is, when one knows that person (or his entourage) can cause bodily harm (or even get back at you and wreck havoc on your business), one will tend to shut up and just vent afterwards.
Well, I almost got killed fighting for my right to not let some douche cut in line… and the sad fact is not a single Pinoy made a peep. They all started talking when the douche was escorted by security… and I could not TAKE it and I let them (the we-should-have-done-this-after-the-fact Pinoys) have it. ANOBAH! Things will not change if we let them happen in the present then talk about them after the fact. Wake up, kids. We’re a democracy now – a sorry excuse for one, but a democracy nonetheless.
By the way, MM. There are several Facebook pages for things like this – so-called shaming pages. This is where pictures and videos of a-hole drivers are posted for all the world to see. Idiots who park like they own four (or six) slots; pigs (sorry, no offense to the future lechons) who throw trash out of their cars; douches who mug elementary-school kids at knife-point. Thank GOD for social media. All that needs to happen now is for Pinoys to actually take action.
Mayor pa Lang yan ha. What more if he was President! Talking about cutting lines, my boys are fed up of some commuters in MRT who shameslessly cut lines even women but mostly men. That’s an everyday thing, imagine! I just let my boys take the car from thereon, otherwise, mapapaaway Lang talaga sila. Somebody shld post a video of those undisciplined people.
hello all,
anyone got the link to the youtube vid for me ?
or any more specifc words which i would have to search for there?
thanks
kayo naman…kaya lang pinayungan ang butihing meyor ay para di umitim…
@bennyrocha, thanks for the laugh!!!
Blame it on religious education. We’ve been drilled in school and at church that “the meek shall inherit the earth”. Yeah they will, after all the psychopaths have ransacked, pillaged and ruined it for the rest of us.
Oh and “turn the other cheek” is another “lesson” that I detest. I mean, c’mon, really?!? Let your abuser get away with it and give him another opportunity to do so?
It would be much better if people abandoned the notion of “investing in the afterlife” and make the most of this life in the here and now.
When someone cuts in front of you in a line, there is an instant silent conversation; “my needs are more important to me than yours, and I have picked you because you look like you will acknowledge this and be silent.” So the violator is shaming himself as narcissistic in that action. However the conversation can be interpreted as : “I matter more than you; and you acknowledge that”. In both cases, silence makes you an accomplice. To speak up means you value yourself. It must also be awkward for the employees at the other end of the counter who have the power to enforce order. The rules are not rigid; queue jumping happens when there are pressing needs, such as when I nearly missed the Paris – Madrid train one Christmas Eve, but this always happens with an explanation and permission from those at the head of the queue;with graciousness and good feelings all around.
The debate here shows how the society is evolving and that order is evolving from the chaos of our social system. One is always hopeful for the Philippines; but I still would not live there.
Good of you, Mrs. MM. I also get irritated with people who do that and I tell them off.