A British man’s wallet was stolen while he was busy giving relief goods to the victims of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) in Negros Oriental.
Authorities identified the victim as Graham Beard.
Beard lives in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. He visited Brgy. 2 in Bais City to distribute some food packs and water to the families affected by the devastating typhoon.
According to a witness under the name Jhonus, the relief operations were running smoothly. However, he saw people are flocking the British national’s car to get free food and water.
“He was busy giving relief goods while a group of men was coming to him closer. At first, he gave these men relief goods. They went back to their houses and come back again to the foreigner. Then they are signaling each other. It seems they already planned it when they knew the foreigner is new to the place,” he said.
After Beard distributed all of the relief packs, Beard noticed his wallet was gone.
“At first he tried to look at his car but seems he remembered that it was just in his pocket. He looked on the ground to check if it fell. But he couldn’t see it so he drove to the police station.”
According to Jhonus, he has not seen the men’s faces in their barangay before.
“I felt so embarrassed. The man was here to help us, but in the end, he was victimized,” he said.
British man’s wallet stolen while distributing relief goods in Negros Oriental
Police Staff Sergeant Junmar Tag-at of Bais Police Office told the INQUIRER that Beard had reported the incident.
Taga-at felt bad for Beard as the British national is so worried about his identification cards inside the stolen wallet.
Taga-at said the foreigner never disclosed how much money he lost inside his wallet.
“What he is after only is his BDO cards, Philippine residency ID, and US and PH driving IDs.”
Taga-at reminded individuals who plan to conduct relief operations to coordinate with authorities for safety.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of calamity in areas hit by Typhoon Odette on Tuesday.
This includes Mimaropa (Region 4-B), Western Visayas (Region 6), Central Visayas (Region 7), Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Northern Mindanao (Region 10), and Caraga (Region 13).
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