http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/opi ... kiptracersThe skiptracers
Published : Sunday, August 07, 2011 00:00 Article Views : 35
The poor people’s humdrum existence in the countryside may exacerbate their seemingly unending struggle for survival. But who cares other than the politicians? A flamboyant political warlord stabs the air with his manicured finger to stress the point: “We will do anything for the poor (except getting off his back).”
City folks don’t know any better, especially those wallowing in stress in their places of work. They look at the rural areas with heartfelt longing. “It’s an easy going lifestyle,” they said.
Is it a valid aspiration? What is the reality in the rural areas?
Life in the countryside may be slow going but not easy. In some provinces only a few still live off the land. Others eke a living doing menial jobs and backyard undertakings. A growing number are unemployed, and they don’t notice the unhurried hours that pass easily ever so slowly.
The government has said it is seeking ways to create jobs in the provinces, but one would starve waiting for it to come true. Unless new industries sprout up, a person must discover new ways of doing things and create his own job.
Companies, including various government agencies, have resorted to outsourcing some of their services to cut down costs and improve productivity despite limited resources. This opens new opportunities for people with talent, resourcefulness and courage to compete in the market.
The field is wide open for those who care to take chances. Outsourcing has made it possible for freelancers to get into areas that were completely off limits to outsiders in the past.
The rewards are bigger when the risk is greater. Hunting down and taking in wanted criminals to claim the reward, for example, is one area of opportunity waiting for takers. The Philippines is a land of opportunity for whistleblowers and bounty hunters.
In Pampanga, Governor Lilia Pineda has offered P200,000 to anyone who could provide information leading to the arrest of a robber who also molested a dentist in the town of Sto. Domingo. If the cops do not grab the suspect fast enough, the culprit is fair game for bounty hunters.
Press reports said a group of gecko hunters have given up the “tuko” and have set their eyes on the suspect after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources declared tuko trapping as unlawful. “We’ll go after the robber instead,” press reports quoted a local bounty hunter as saying.
If you’re looking for bigger game the Philippine National Police has a list of its 10 Most Wanted Persons. They are offering capture awards ranging from P1 million to P10 million.
The police have photographs and other details you need to track down the criminals, who are wanted under the law for crimes that include car theft, robbery and murder. Police officers describe them as armed and dangerous.
The United States offered a $5 million dollar bounty when the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped three Americans in Mindanao a few years ago. It’s the biggest bounty in police history. Troops rescued Gracia Burnham on June 7, 2002, but the Abu Sayyaf had murdered her husband, Martin, and Guillermo Sobero.
Not so many people are aware that in the Philippines and the United States bounty hunting or capturing fugitives for monetary reward is considered legal. In other countries, bounty hunting is considered kidnapping.
In the United States, bail bond companies employ bounty hunters, which are paid 10 percent of the bail that the fugitive initially paid. Bounty hunters claim they catch more than 30,000 “bail jumpers” every year, which are about 90 percent of people who jump bail.
Bounty hunters are also called “skiptracers,” which refer to the process of searching for a person through less direct methods than active pursuit and apprehension by using spies and debt collectors. It does not imply criminal conduct on the part of the individual being traced.
After the tuko hunters get the robber who molested the dentist in Pampanga, they can get into new business as skiptracers. They can look for bail jumpers or track down missing people, including lost wives and husbands. The skiptracers can make life in the countryside more exciting.
