Japanese National Uses Cellphone to Reserve a Seat in Davao City Restaurant, Phone Not Stolen

A Japanese national probably forgot that he is not in Japan, and used his cellphone to reserve a seat inside a small restaurant. After some minutes, he realized that it might get stolen and immediately checked his seat. To his surprise, his phone was still there despite the fact there are many Filipinos near his reserved seat, and his phone was very visible.



According to a certain Alfredo, his Japanese boss he identified only as Tamura-san told him about his good experience when he decided to eat alone in an unnamed fast food chain in Davao City last Sunday, December 3. The Japanese said he saw a vacant seat and placed his cellphone on top of the table, and fall in line to order some food.

After about 3 minutes, Mr. Tamura remembered he lost his bag inside a cozy restaurant inside a mall in Manila in 2015. That time, he was with some Filipino friends and his bag was just beside him. However, it only took less than 5 minutes and his bad was stolen. They reviewed the CCTV footage, and found out that a decent-looking man took his bag.

So when Tamura-san feared that his cellphone might be stolen too, he left the line and returned to his table. According to Alfredo, his Japanese boss was very happy to see that phone was still there, and admitted that he felt embarrassed for judging that all Filipinos are ‘dorobo,’ or thieves. Then, the Japanese said he saw the Filipinos smiled at him.

“Yes, sir. Don’t worry. Your phone and other personal belongings are safe here in Davao City. Here, the law is not only being strictly implemented. Being honest and trustworthy has also been a culture here for several years now.” A woman was quoted by Tamura-san, Alfred tells Philippine News Courier this Monday via Facebook Messenger.



Interestingly, that was when Mr. Tamura said he also remembered that President Rodrigo Duterte has been a mayor of Davao City for more than 22 years. To end their conversation, Alfredo told his Japanese boss that there are still thieves in Davao City but are now very few, and that most of them who were caught are not really from Davao.

Contributed by Cherry Luz Alcantara