Author: Bob Reyes

The phone call came on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon. For 67-year-old Aling Nena, a retired public school teacher from Quezon City, it sounded like the kind of emergency no grandparent ever wants to hear. On the other end of the line was her 21-year-old grandson, Mark. His voice was familiar — trembling, panicking, and urgent. He said he had been in a motorcycle accident, had injured someone, and was now being held at a police station. He needed Php 50,000 immediately to settle the matter, preferably sent through an e-wallet. He begged her not to tell his parents, insisting it…