"The 'Indio'"
Upon their arrival in the province of Pangasinan, their destination, their truck immediately proceeded to the town of Urdaneta. Here, they were allowed to sell even though they came from small farmlands.
This area was controlled by the government, so numerous checkpoints were scattered everywhere to ensure public safety. However, many areas were off-limits or forbidden to enter, especially the forests, due to the rebels hiding there.
Meanwhile, in town, the companions continued to sell vegetables to stores. Although Erik had a wound and hadn't fully recovered, he insisted on hawking his goods in the city to earn money.
This time, Kardo allowed him, but reduced the amount of vegetables he could carry so as not to overly exert the boy's body.
"Wait, Kuya Kardo, this is too little. I might not earn anything with this," the young man complained.
"If you don't want to get into trouble again, just listen to me and do as I say," Kardo replied.
Carrying the basket of vegetables on his back, Erik hurried away from the garage where they were staying. The young man was cheerful and determined to earn back the money he lost last night.
Erik couldn't be stopped from doing what he wanted, especially exploring a city. Someone like him didn't often see the things in the city, like television shows, fancy cars, and lively people.
For him, a city was truly alive because of its prosperous way of life, which was vastly different from the sluggish existence he grew up with in their small village.
While selling to some stores, he would also peek into other buildings to watch or look, which often led to shop vendors admonishing him and telling him to leave.
As he walked, he spotted a shop selling cell phones and gadgets. Although he didn't know what those gadgets were for, he was mesmerized like a child.
He also saw gadgets like PSPs and laptops being played by people inside. Afterward, he went to a game center and stood on the side to watch, as the glass served as the only barrier. He couldn't bring his basket of vegetables inside because of its size.
He was amazed by the young people who knew how to play, and he felt a pang of envy toward the students who were happily playing and laughing in front of him.
"City folks have it good," he whispered to himself, forcing a smile.
Lost in watching, Erik didn't notice how long he'd spent at the gaming establishment or arcade center.
He suddenly remembered that he still had vegetables to sell and needed to sell everything to earn back the money he lost. As a child, Erik also loved recreation and playing, so he sometimes couldn't help but waste his selling time just wandering around the city.
At that moment, he came across Spanish police officers who were patrolling the area. People avoided them and wouldn't even glance at them, as if they were afraid.
He paused for a moment to stare at a television show in a shop, but after lingering a bit longer, he noticed the approaching officers.
He couldn't take his eyes off them because he rarely encountered Spanish police while selling in the city. He was also fascinated by the officers' smart uniforms in the city, as they were grand and well-tailored.
In that instant, two officers noticed him and decided to make some money off him. They thought that people like Erik were easily intimidated and could be extorted, even over simple matters of following the law.
They immediately approached him and aggressively demanded his ID.
"Hey, indio (native), where is your ID? Do you have a permit to sell here?" one officer asked.
The ID the police officer was asking for was the National ID given to citizens to verify their identity and where they came from. Checking IDs was part of the officers' job to prevent loitering and to catch rebels within the city.
Erik couldn't answer, as he hadn't obtained an ID because it was expensive, and they didn't have time for the lengthy process. Kardo only obtained a list of their names for a permit when passing checkpoints.
Simply put, Erik knew he had no permit or papers to show the officers to prove they were allowed to sell. He also couldn't come up with an excuse because Kardo hadn't mentioned bringing a permit to town.
In truth, the authorities didn't usually look for such things from vegetable vendors like him because they were allowed to bring vegetables into the city without hassle, as it was necessary for daily life in every city.
Erik stammered, unable to say anything, while the officers continued to raise their voices to frighten him.
One officer pulled out handcuffs and threatened Erik with them, which made the young man panic even more, and he continued to plead with them. At that moment, the officers smiled at the young man's reaction because they knew they would succeed in extorting money from him.
Someone like Erik, who was unfamiliar with the system, was easy to scare. Because he had no idea how the law worked in a city, he didn't think to object to the police or ask about the correct procedure.
The officer put down the handcuffs and suddenly put an arm around Erik's shoulder, leading him away from the area. After walking for a short while, he whispered fake regulations and made-up penalties to further intimidate the boy. They suddenly mentioned that they required vegetable vendors to pay a small fee in exchange for allowing them to sell in the area, just like the legal vendors.
"Since you don't have a permit, you need to pay us 300 pesos so you can sell here," he said.
"HUH? 300 pesos??"
The young man was shocked by the amount they were asking for, but unfortunately, Erik had nothing to give them, as he had just left the truck. He had lost a lot of time wandering, so only a few people had bought from him.
Erik took out the meager earnings he had from selling vegetables and pleaded with the police to allow him to continue selling.
"What are you talking about? Hey kid, don't waste our time. Are you going to pay or not?"
As he expected, the two officers were displeased and threatened to simply lock the young man up and flog him repeatedly. Terrified of the punishment, the young man insisted they take the spare change from his sales and even offered carrots in exchange for the money.
"Idiot! Are you stupid, indio? What would we do with your carrots? We need money!" he shouted at the terrified young man.
They noticed the fear on the young man's face and knew he was telling the truth about his small sales amount.
They knew they couldn't take Erik to the station since they had no case to file against him, and they wouldn't gain anything from him if he couldn't provide money.
The officer immediately lost his temper out of disappointment and quickly turned his frustration on the young man.
"Worthless indio," he said, instantly kicking Erik in the side.
The young man slid to the ground, and the carrots he was selling, which were in the basket on his back, scattered everywhere. The officer did this even though they saw the bandage on his head and the cuts on his arms.
People were shocked to witness the police assaulting a child, but instead of helping the boy lying on the street, they quickly left, walking as if they were blind to what was happening.
It was the heat of the day, so many people were still passing through that street, but just like in the previous scenes, no one wanted to interfere. Even though they saw the abuse happening right in front of them, they were more concerned about avoiding getting caught up in the trouble the police were causing.
"AHH! Please stop! Please!"
The officer continued to shout at and insult him while kicking him in various parts of his body. As this was happening, the young man couldn't understand what to do or why the police officer was doing this to him.
"You're already useless, and you're not even beneficial. Trashy indios!" he said angrily.
He continued to kick Erik in the arm while he lay on the floor, as if disregarding his condition. Erik could only shield himself and couldn't fight back because he was afraid of them.
"You're ungrateful. We're already guarding you against the rebels, and you're still no good to us," he said.
It was clear in his mind that the police officer was striking him and was angry at him, as if he had committed a grave sin. He saw every person passing by avoid looking at him, as if they were pretending not to notice what was happening. He pleaded in his mind, hoping someone, anyone, would stop that officer.
"Hey, easy, mate. Let's go, we're just wasting time here," his companion said.
The officer was breathing heavily and sweating from hurting the young man. Exhausted, he stopped kicking and fixed his white polo shirt to maintain a decent appearance for others.
"Right. We might as well go have a drink at the indio bar," he said.
They left him as if nothing had happened, while Erik continued to endure the pain he sustained and just sat on the street.
Even after the commotion ended, no one wanted to help him, even though people were passing right in front of him.
He couldn't understand how great his sin was to be physically abused by a law enforcer, but he also thought, what could someone like him, a mere outsider in this town, do in a situation like that, especially since he was just a child?
"It's my fault too. It's okay, Erik, I didn't have money for the ID, that's why this happened," he told himself to muster courage.
Erik didn't dwell on it anymore, and even though he was in pain, he moved to pick up his scattered goods on the road.
As he continued picking them up, someone suddenly approached him and picked up one of the carrots scattered on the street.
Erik noticed this and immediately stood up from where he was sitting to thank him and take what the man was holding.
"Wait, kid. Are you okay? You look like you're in bad shape," the man asked with concern.
This man was also Filipino, with short, bright black hair, in his 20s, and had a good physique.
He was well-dressed in a red long-sleeved shirt and black pants, which suited his chinito (Chinese-featured) and gentle face.
He offered to help Erik carry his load, but the young man refused.
"Oh no, thank you, I can manage this."
He smiled at the young man and introduced himself as Alfredo. He was a vendor at one of the shops in town and just happened to be out wandering at that time.
"Are you new here?" he asked.
The truth was, this wasn't Erik's first time going to the town of Urdaneta, but unlike the previous situation, he hadn't encountered the Spanish officers when he was alone.
"I don't know why, but you seem clueless about the customs of the Spaniards here in town, and you managed to stare at them and stop earlier," he said.
"It was just a coincidence because I was watching a show on television in a store," the young man replied.
"You know, for the police not to target you here, don't stare at them and just let them pass as if they don't exist. The things they can do to people like us, using their right to enforce the law, are no joke," he added.
He said it was better to stay away and avoid them when he saw police because those kinds of incidents would happen again and again.
Erik didn't fully understand the last part of what he said, whether he was hinting at something or what, because he was smiling and calm, as if he was just joking.
He approached closer and helped Erik pick up the carrots and put them in his basket.
~ Erik's Point of View ~
End of part 1
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