This online seller was busy attending to her customers in a Facebook Live selling session last January 13 outside their Caloocan home when an armed robber suddenly attacked her and snatched her cellphone.
Bebiana Maanio said that the incident happened at around 10 p.m., and the thief was wearing a black jacket and a helmet with his face covered.
“Patapos na ako ng live non eh mga 10:48 na ‘yun eh biglang may kumalabit sa akin ––sa likod ko kasi nanggaling ‘yung tapos may kumalabit sa akin ayun tapos pag tingin ko parang nagulat ako kasi na-ano niya ‘yung baril niya. Binalya niya ako –– naitulak tapos nabalya ako sa likod,” she recalled.
Maanio said that luckily, she did not sustain any injuries, in fact, she followed the thief as he walked out in the area.
“Tumayo pa rin ako, sinundan ko pa rin siya. Nakita ko siya naka-single motor siya. Ayun lang ‘yung narinig ko nung nasa motor na siya sabi niya: ‘Diyan ka lang!’ ‘Yun lang ‘yung sinabi niya sa akin,” she added.
Maanio was heard screaming during her Facebook live and her customers witnessed the crime.
One customer reported the incident to the police. However, the suspect had already vanished from the area.
“Naka-live kasi ako, may miner na mas malapit lang dito nakatira siya ‘yung pumunta sa pulis at the same time ‘yung pulis sumama rin naman sa tindahan ko pero wala na silang magagawa kasi umalis na,” she said.
The snatched cellphone was still brand-new and she was only halfway through paying for the device. Nevertheless, she felt relieved that she was safe and did not sustain serious injuries.
The officials also showed a potential suspect but she couldn’t identify the robber since she only saw his eyes.
“Pinapakilala sa akin pero sa awa ng Diyos parang ayoko kasi magpinpoint ng tao –– na siya or siya ba talaga ‘yun, kasi hindi ko talaga makilala kasi eyes lang talaga nakita ko. Mahirap naman magpinpoint ng tao –– sabihin ko na siya, siya –– pero di naman ako sigurado baka makasira rin ako ng buhay ng may buhay,” she noted.
Maanio’s customers said that they already noticed the man going back and forth in the street before the crime happened.
“Ang sabi kasi sa akin ng mga miners tsaka sabi rin ng mga nagck-comment, ano raw pabalik-balik nga raw ‘yung lalaki hindi ko lang talaga napansin kasi nakatalikod ako,” Maanio said.
The incident was very traumatic for Maanio. She hasn’t conducted any live selling since the incident happened.
But she said she would have to overcome it because she needed to continue her business for her family. She has been live selling plants on Facebook since February 2021 and her Facebook Live usually ends at around 12 midnight.
Due to the incident, her family advised her to take safety precautions to avoid the same experience. But for her safety, she has planned to conduct earlier live selling inside their home.
Maanio was thankful to her customers who checked on her after witnessing the incident. “‘Yung mga miner nadito-dito lang (nakatira), nagsipuntahan mismo eh. Tumulong sila sa akin. Tapos ayun maraming messages, maraming nagpapakita — pagsi-sympathize…kaya okay din naman,” said Maanio.
