Ang mundo ng mga magnanakaw sa ilalim ng lupa sa 'Hukay-Hukay', dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino

"HUKAY-HUKAY" Dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino July 2, 2012 Sa ilalim ng mga kalsada ng Maynila, may mundo na hindi namamalayan ng marami.  Ito ang mga lagusan ng tubig baha na madilim, marumi, at kadalasang pinamumugaran ng mga ipis at daga.  Pero minsan, may pagkakataon  na  ang mundong ito ay nagiging pugad din ng mga magnanakaw.   Ilang taon na rin ang operasyon ng "Acetylene Gang".  Sa kabila ng mabahong burak, matiyaga nilang hinuhukay ang ilalim ng lupa para matunton ang kanilang sunod na biktima sa ibabaw ng lupa: ang mga pawnshop.  Karaniwang nagsisimulang maghukay ang mga magnanakaw sa mga apartment malapit sa tinatarget nilang pawnshop, o 'di kaya ay dumaraan sila sa drainage system ng lugar.  Gamit ang kanilang acetylene torch, nabubuksan nila ang mga vault ng pawnshop at nakatatakas bitbit ang milyun-milyong pisong halaga ng nakaw. Madalas, hindi nadadakip ang mga salarin.   Susubukan ni Howie Severino pasukin ang mga lagusang minsan nang binaybay ng mga nasabing magnanakaw, para tuklasin kung ano nga ba ang mundo sa ilalim ng lupa.     Sino-sino nga ba ang nasa likod ng operasyong ito? At paano nalalaman ng mga magnanakaw kung saan maghuhukay?  Samahan si Howie Severino alamin ang mga kasagutan ngayong Lunes sa I-Witness.      Beneath many of the nation's busiest streets is a squalid underground world of tunnels where mostly rats and cockroaches live. But occasionally, a certain breed of humans toil there, immersed in filth and mud and furiously digging until they hit pay dirt.   For years, gangs of burrowing burglars have been breaking into pawnshops through the floor after tunneling for days and sometimes weeks. They often start digging in nearby apartments rented under false names. With acetylene torches, they silently cut open steel vaults and sneak away with millions in cash and jewelry. Financiers employ miners from Luzon's northern mountain provinces to perform a relatively risk-free and lucrative crime. The robbers usually carry no arms and are rarely caught. Somehow, they know exactly where to dig so that they end up exactly where they need to be.   Howie Severino and his intrepid documentary team venture into this world, squeezing into one muddy tunnel where they need to crawl to follow the escape route of one gang. But they also descend into the wastewater of a wide pitch-black underground drainage tunnel in Cubao to probe another route to illicit riches.   They also discover that even when arrested, these silent operators don't stay in jail. Lawyers promptly show up laden with cash to bail them out.   Who is behind these crimes and how exactly do they operate?  Join Howie Severino as he finds out this Monday, in I-Witness.