The Police Motorbike

Here is another “essay on life” in this country!

I was having a quick afternoon snack at some roadside store when a fully uniformed policeman in a motorbike stopped few inches from the outside table where I sat. He shut the engine off, locked whatever can be locked in that thing, said hi to the folks manning the store, then crossed the road, obviously to report to his office. Yeah, across the road is a military/police camp.

The scene was kind if amusing to me, and I had questions in my head that needed answers. Voila! Mr. Policeman came back to get something from under the seat of his bike (papers he probably forgot to bring earlier). So I took the chance, starting with the obvious… “is that your bike, sir?”, he smiled at me and said “yes”! I said I like the color and the markings – immediately asking if the bike was an official issue. A bit hesitant but still smiling, the young officer said it was his personal vehicle.

That should have been it, but he asked me “bakit po”, so I said I was amused at the “police” markings and in the lovely red color. Then I asked if their superiors don’t mind them using the word in their personal vehicles. He said none has ever called his attention to it, but he had to had those printed on this bike for a reason – to ward thieves away! Whoa!

And I learned from him that he had a previous bike and that it was stolen while parked near his house. By putting the word “police”, he hoped the “bike-nappers” would at least leave this bike alone. We laughed that even vehicles of police officers do not get “exempted” from being stolen nowadays. I thanked him and he was gone back to his HQ. Did you notice even the helmet also has the word “police”?!

I can imagine, if this thing had been any bigger, the young officer may have opted to have it printed with "For Official Use ALSO"!

I had other questions though. LIke, why did he park that thing on a spot where there was a big sign that said “No Parking”. Ah, the tindera at the store gave me the answer. She said they actually put that sign up so that other bikers won’t park on that spot since there are already “permanent parkers” – the policeman was one of them. Really now!! This btw, is by the base of a big tree on the sidewalk.

I did wonder, and there was no one to answer my question… is that camp already too cramped such that policemen themselves are not allowed to bring their little girly bikes inside? I still wonder!

A sign of our times? Well, yes indeed, on many counts hehe!