Wazzup Pilipinas!?
What happens when those meant to protect us become the very source of harassment? When security officers, instead of ensuring safety, use their authority to degrade and humiliate? This is not just a personal ordeal—it is a wake-up call for everyone.
A Morning of Commitment Turned Nightmare
Sleep-deprived, exhausted, and battling hypertension, I set out that morning with a singular goal: to fulfill my professional commitment. I had spent the night finalizing logistics for an upcoming event—one aimed at empowering the youth against fake news, fostering responsible content creation, and promoting critical thinking. Despite my fatigue, I pushed forward, skipping breakfast and even my usual cup of coffee, determined to make it in time for the media shuttle that would take me to a press conference at UP Diliman.
I never made it.
Instead, I found myself trapped in an hours-long ordeal, subjected to humiliation and outright abuse at the hands of the very people who are supposed to uphold security and order.
From Protector to Perpetrator: The Abuse of Power at Gateway Mall
It started at Gateway Mall Araneta City’s basement security office—a place that, alarmingly, is hidden from public view. There, I was frisked aggressively, my body pushed and pulled at will, my bag thoroughly searched as if I were smuggling contraband. My explanations were brushed aside as though my words carried no weight. When I requested to wait for a friend or family member, they scoffed at my plea and insisted I could be taken to the police station immediately in their patrol car.
Even when my contact—the one facilitating the media shuttle—arrived to clarify the situation, the security guard refused to back down. Instead, I was treated with further disrespect, accused of lying despite presenting multiple government-issued IDs and a media ID.
I wasn’t a nameless stranger caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am a journalist, an advocate, an organizer dedicated to social causes. I have worked tirelessly for disaster relief efforts, children’s feeding programs, and community outreach initiatives. Yet, none of that mattered in the eyes of these so-called security personnel—who saw fit to degrade me first and ask questions later.
Dragged Through the System: Police and Barangay Indifference
As if the degrading treatment at the mall security office wasn’t enough, I was then hauled off to Cubao Police Station 7, where the situation only worsened. The police insisted on calling in the Gateway Mall security guard for a statement, yet these so-called enforcers of law and order never even bothered to show up.
Hours were wasted, my dignity stripped, my well-being ignored.
I was then shuttled to the barangay hall that oversees the Araneta Center area, where the narrative took an even more sinister turn. The Gateway Mall security office went so far as to call the Starbucks guard, attempting to influence him against me. Thankfully, the barangay officials saw through this manipulation, recognizing that the issue at hand was separate from the misunderstanding with the Starbucks guard—who, by then, had already acknowledged the mix-up and accepted my side of the story.
But why did this have to escalate to such an absurd extent? Why was I subjected to this ordeal in the first place?
Gateway Mall’s Hidden Basement of Harassment
This isn’t just about me. It’s about the unchecked power that security personnel at Gateway Mall Araneta City are wielding against innocent people.
How many others have been dragged into that hidden basement security office, where they are harassed away from the public eye? How many voices have been silenced, forced to endure mistreatment without witnesses to hold these so-called "protectors" accountable?
If this can happen to me—a journalist, an advocate, someone with a platform—then it can happen to anyone.
A Demand for Accountability
Enough is enough. I demand accountability from the management of Gateway Mall Araneta City.
That basement security office should not be hidden. It should be fully visible to ensure transparency in their actions.
Their security personnel must undergo proper training to prevent abuse of power.
Clear policies should be in place to protect individuals from being mistreated, ensuring that security personnel cannot arbitrarily detain and humiliate people.
No one should ever have to endure what I went through. If we remain silent, we allow this cycle of abuse to continue. It is time to demand better—not just for ourselves, but for everyone who steps into that mall, expecting security, not suffering.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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