Buwis Buhay

Guest post by Stella:

Security is taken very seriously in the Philippines. You see security guards dressed in their crisp white shirts, ties, and well pressed pants in almost every business establishment. These people take their job seriously. You will find that they might seem very polite greeting you with a, "good morning/afternoon, sir or ma'm!" along with a nod of their head but in reality they seem to be practicing for a future TSA job at the airport.

When we checked-in at the Marriott this afternoon our car had to go through a bomb inspection check at the driveway entrance. The dog dutifully checked out our trunk full of suitcases while a couple of guards ran a mirror check under the car. I felt relieved when they gave the thumbs up signal for another security guard to lower the automatic road barricade. As we got closer to the hotel entrance, I noticed an x-ray machine for bags and a metal detector for all guests. While checking in I debated whether I feel safer because of all the security measures taken or worried about a possible attack in the hotel. I decided the former is better and I could sleep better tonight.

Malls are no different. Large malls have security checkpoints similar to the one mentioned above before you can park in the building lot. Guards with a stick in their latex gloved hands are stationed at every entrance checking people's bags or waving the magic secure wand on some random person who seemed a little questionable in their view. At one mall, I was asked to "please remove your shades" as I passed through. Dutifully I complied and removed my sunglasses.

Guards at banks and other important buildings carry shotguns. I'm thinking that the possibility of a Western style shoot out is very likely if someone dares to rob the bank. Hopefully, I am not inside when that happens.

The job description not only requires one to be vigilant of would be perpetrators but may involve traffic control, umbrella service, parking lot ticket takers, and ability to open doors with a smile. In some restaurants, guards will walk you to your car under an umbrella to protect you from the sun. Can you imagine getting a sunburn while walking that 20 feet of shadeless parking lot? Maybe  we should have requested for them to turn on the car and cool it down first before we got in instead. Parking may require one to purchase a ticket at a gate, so guards collect money at the entrance and another one to collect the tickets at the exit. In some places parking may require a guard to help you squeeze your car into a spot even if it is not a legal place to park (like on the curb).

The most interesting to watch is when a customer leaving the building needs to back out into major traffic, the guard then walks out in the middle of the street to stop oncoming traffic. Showing no fear, he raises his hands to signal that everyone must stop so the car can safely back out and leave. There is no guarantee that all vehicles will stop as someone who is in a hurry might find a space to go through and ignore the guard standing in the street. On several occasions, we feared for the guard's life as we watch him standing with arms waving while cars, jeepneys, tricycles, or motorcycles speeds through. My sister, in her amusement, described their job: "Buwis Buhay," which means risk your life. And that they do!

Now, there are the unofficial, not uniformed, guard wannabes. These are the random people who stands outside a small business building like the cleaners who does not employ a regular guard. Customers (whether they ask or not) will find a person standing behind their cars in the middle of street waving down traffic as they back out of the parking lot. Of course, why wouldn't you give them a few pesos to compensate them for risking their life in exchange for a speedy exit so you can join the rest of the snarling traffic on your way to your next stop?