On child traffickers, trespassers, and other law anomalies

Call me paranoid.

This morning, a middle-aged woman drew open our front gate, walked into our driveway and called out to us through our window and woke us; all without permission from any of us tenants in this 3-door apartment compound.

She claimed that she was doing a survey for a milk company and started ticking off questions after questions about our children, most suspiciously, of our two younger ones.

We were up very late the night before and planned to rouse much later till, at least, one of the babies are up. This woman’s intrusion was quite annoying, and somewhat, dubious.

She was asking us questions about our children that had nothing to do with milk!

Trained young

My parents have trained me growing up. I do not answer any questions that would profile any of my children or any of my family members for that matter. I told the intruder straight on that we are aware of child-trafficking and do not entertain questions about our sons.

But she was insistent and was totally ignoring our NO.

She showed me print outs of some power point slides with pictures of Enfalac and Judy Ann Santos’s TV ad. She also presented a company ID — name was Elena Ybabao, logo by S&L.

Her uncouthness was rather distasteful. I did not raise hell, but yes, I displayed a certain amount of hostility and refused to answer any of her queries until she finally agreed to go.

IDs and documents don’t prove anything

Provided that that woman was telling the truth, she was still a trespasser.

Fact is, anyone can falsify IDs and records. Showing me those files does not prove anything. I do not know her and I do not know of anyone who can vouch for her credibility.

Oh, and did I say that I took a quick peek into her big, shiny, black leather shoulder bag and saw that it contained only a few crumpled newsprint? She also refused to let Jay see her survey sheet when he asked to look over her set of questions.

Who referred the woman?

My husband went out to talk to the people at the water station across our apartment whom she said informed her that we have “babies”.

It was only a matter of minutes when she left but the woman was nowhere to be seen (considering that there are other babies in the same street) and the workers at the water station told Jay that they didn’t refer anyone. One of them was out on delivery, so it could have been him.

Update: No, it wasn’t him either, he said.

Don’t give out other people’s information!

Anyway, here’s my point. What we do with our personal information is our business, but we do not give out information about others without the consent of the people concerned.

It’s common courtesy and downright proper etiquette.

We should be cautious in revealing to strangers or mere acquaintances somebody else’s routines and personal schedules, whereabouts, background information, number of family members or household and their names, contact numbers, financial status, and other information that may put them in compromising situations.

If you have been told these things, then you should know that you have been entrusted with privileged information; we must not assume the right to divulge somebody else’s profile & details.

We have boundaries. People use a lot of excuses to break the simplest of laws; we who know better must apply these boundaries that those who have been mis-educated with these things will be properly educated.

We cross our boundaries and we just might be putting other people’s lives at risk.