March 23, 2010

What Annapolis Seafood Palace Did Not Do

My white 3GS iPhone was stolen at Annapolis Seafood Palace, Annapolis Street in Greenhills last February 13, 2010 during dinner.

Our family gathered at this well known and patronized restaurant to ring in the Chinese New Year. Now, I was taking pictures of each dish they were bringing out for the Panto / Lauriat. I would take the shot and put it in front of me below my plate. By the fifth round, the server offered to change my plate. It was soon after this that I noticed that my iPhone was missing. Before saying anything to my cousins next to me, I checked my bag, the back of my chair, the floor. Nada. I calmly told them and they checked our surroundings with me. We had a good hunch that it was swiped during the plate changeovers, covered by a napkin or a dirty plate. At this point, we called attention to the manager in charge and the head waiter that night to see what they can do about the situation. Their answers were in these lines: “Our waiters are really busy tonight.” My relatives spoke with them again and were ignored while the manager was busy preparing checks and counting money and change. They were also brazen enough to insinuate that we were maybe joking amongst ourselves. Talking to the manager and head waiter was useless. A call to a part owner for assistance unfortunately proved futile. ”Walang magagawa eh, sila ang in charge diyan ngayong gabi.” Maybe shut the doors? Do a quick search? “Nakakahiya sa customers. Maaabala lahat.” It was obvious that their management did not have protocols in place when such incidents occur. No surprises there but it didn't just open and wasn't just some some restaurant so I guess we had our expectations. We were seated at two round tables at the far end of the restaurant, had the aquarium wall next to us and taken cared of by two servers. It was busy but not a high traffic area because we were up against a wall. Too bad there were no CCTVs. It is never right to point fingers so I won’t even go there.

The management of Annapolis Seafood Palace could have handled this a better way. Bah Humbug.


All the talk was pointless and I couldn’t sit there anymore. I left with one of my cousins and just filed a police report. For what use? Probably for nothing. I texted my younger brother right away to notify AT&T and they suspended the line within half an hour. It was ample time to hack into the phone though. We were in close proximity to cellular phone hacking/reselling haven after all. This person had the audacity to make several phone calls and send messages in that short span of time. The phone numbers are listed on the billing statement. I was tempted to play detective but why bother? AT&T will reverse all incurred charges after the fact, no pain there. Now that’s customer service.

Everyone and their mothers made the monetary value of such a phone in the black market known to me early on. I heeded these warnings, watched and guarded my iPhone so closely the whole time I was in Manila. It still got stolen. This I don’t think much of in Jersey or NYC. It’s one of those nuisances I don’t miss. I’d like to buy nice things and be able to use them freely whenever, wherever without having to feel vulnerable or paranoid.

The point of this post is not to bad mouth a business establishment. It’s a word of caution, added awareness if you must.


I can’t just suck it up, stay quiet and think “Di bale na, Hayaan na lang! Wala nang magagawa” It’s a vicious cycle there that I refuse to be part of. These days, we have various platforms, I can write about it.

I was initially cursing under my breath. The thought of having to rebuild my network/contact list made my blood boil. But this soon dissipated. Thanks to social media and technology! Identity theft also crossed my mind but realized that the stealing in this case was most likely a crime of poverty and not of passion. Good luck with your hand in this life or the next dude, I hope you put the ill-gotten gains to good use. I began to see humor in what happened to me 1.5 days before my flight back to NY. It’s just stuff. Easily replaceable. I was taken aback by the quick emotional 180. It must be from the sheer gratitude for all that was given to me and was able to do the past year. You never know, hey it could have been worse for all of us at that restaurant.

Oh the chaos that is Manila, it is truly love / hate. I look forward to my next trip back!!!
I end this by what would be cliché now - Mind your smart phones!!! And oh, don’t forget to sync, sync, sync!!

End of story. Thank you for your time! Maraming Salamat Po! 8)

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