Bus passengers frisked, bags searched due to cellphone theft

A bus was flagged down and its passengers frisked by the police on Baclaran Service Road on Monday due to a reported pickpocketing incident.

According to Mark Salazar's report in GMA's 24 Oras, a male passenger reported that his cellphone was missing.

Passengers were asked to alight while the police searched inside the bus.

The stolen cellphone, however, was not recovered. It was already the third bus that had to be inspected in the area due to theft cases.

Most of the disturbed commuters who were on the way to their offices were irked by the inconvenience.

"Anong oras pasok ko, alas-nuebe, sa Shaw pa ako," a woman said.

The cops from the Southern Police District were coincidentally in the area because they were part of a clearing operation being conducted by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Sidewalk vendors near the Redemptorist Church were asked to vacate the area but some argued that they have arrangements with barangay officials.

The MMDA, on the other hand, said that it only recognizes city ordinances when it comes to traffic management. — Dona Magsino/BM, GMA News