When I first heard about Recto University I was very intrigued. When you hear someone say that there is a strip of counterfeiters in Manila you would imagine the operation to be a secret. In movies we always see people having fake I.D.'s made but in reality it is not something I have seen myself. I had decided to go to Recto alone quite precipitately after class so that I would have no one holding me back.
On the LRT ride to Recto my mind was full of so many different questions and thoughts. Questions like, "Was it going to be scary?", "Would there be a raid?" and the eternal, "Would I be able to pull it off?" It was then I decided that instead of retreating to a bunch of expectations I should just do it and let things happen as they would. As the LRT train started to slowdown I could see a bunch of old shacks and a ton of stray cats lining teh streets. I hadn't planted any images in my mind so I can't say that i was disappointed or flabbergasted. The train stopped, reached the station and I was shocked as I walked through the Recto Terminal. I walked onto the pavement and immeciately I saw someone approach me. I slowed down and the man, who looked like any other person on the street, quickly started to say in a hushed tone, "fake I.D.?" I simply shook my head out of reflex and the man stepped away. It was strange and I hadn't expected it to be so casual. I walked a few more feet and I saw a cardboard stand with a collage of forged licences, diplomas and deeds taped together and covered in plastic wrapped with a sign tacked on top that stated "ACCEPT RUSH JOBS". The stand was a surprising sight, I hadn't expected it to be so out there. I was quite tempted to take a picture but the man eyd my camera with caution so I decided against being quite so trigger happy. I decided to act like a minor interested in a fake I.D. I asked the man beside the stand how much it would cost me and how long it would take. He quickly asked for documents to draw the information from. I was put off by the request not knowing what papers were needed so I simply asked how long it would take. He answered 350Php and that I could get it within the day and I was baffled at how commonpalce it seemed to be. How could something like this seem to simple? I decided to walk off in search of other stands to see if it was as simple as it seemed.
I wandered around the strip for an hour and there they were beside stalls that sold used books and offered printing jobs. Numerous handmade stands with signs made out of cartolina offering a wide variety of services from simple academic projects like thesis papers, architectural designs and investigative project reports to more official papers like NSO birth certificates, deeds and tax receipts. I was baffled at how humdrum it seemed to be. I approached another stand which seemed to be more focused to academic services. The stand was studded with diplomas from Ateneo, UP and La Salle and things like NSO birth certificates and drivers licenses. The man behind the stand smiled at me engagingly and told me that I should feel free to ask questions. I quickly asked how much a standard research paper would be. His glib manner was something that made the experience something so normal, like I was asking about the weather instead of forgery. He quickly explained that if it was a general topic the they had a stash that they could simply pull one from but if ut was a more complex topic it would take around two weeks to complete but that it would still cost around 250Php. He also added that they accepted works to be finished for example if an art student was not done with a particular sketch they would simply finish it. At this point I had asked somemore mundane questions about how to contact them just to seem more interested then I said thank you and walked away.
The whole idea seemed so natural that the fact that it was illegal seemed to fade away from the picture. Lies-for-sale is a very strong operation. As I waled through the dingy streets I had a strange mix of feelings build up inside of me. I had read this article about how in early 2008 the police had attempted to shut Recto University down but of course failed. I had read this article and the man they were interviewing named Nanding, whose business had been passed onto him by his father, had stated that: “I’ve befriended a lot of policemen; I can get out of jail with just one phone call from a police officer.” Knowing that they can't get caught is something that gave me a sudden understanding about the operation. As I looked back at the experience of visiting Recto University I remember seeing so many people just looking these services. As long as there was a demand there would be a supply no matter what. Two things entered my mind as I started walking to the LRT station. First, was an odd feeling that I had just stepped into a reality where the lines betweem what are legal and illegal had suddenlt evaporated. Then, I started to feel like I had walked into a different world. I knew that the whole operation was wrong which was why I had refused to buy anything. I looked around me at the stalls covered in dust the streets lined with acrid smelling garbage I felt transported. I didn't know whether I had felt disappointment or awe at the place. Now I know it was both as I stepped down from Recto onto Katipunan I started to feel things fall back into place as they were. The previously set boundaries of what is legal and natural fall back in place. It scared me to think that to just be immersed in it started to blur the edges of what was right and wrong when you try to keep an open mind.
In the few hours I spent in Recto many thoughts had built up in my mind. One thing I am sure of is that it is a place that will be alive for years to come. Just standing there ane being so exposed to the atmosphere gives you a strange feeling. It's as if you can do no wrong as long as you are in demand. It gives similarity to how drugs have been able to slip through the radar as well as most criminal activities. There seems to be a love-hate relationship between risky businesses such as the ones I had witnessed in Recto. Many people criticize them for being immoral and yet they thrive because once something like this takes place place in society it starts to grow. It acts like a malignant tumor. The body tries to fight it but it is too fast and strong and it soon reproduces and overpowers the heatlthy cells. It's a scary fact that no one seems to want to face let alone fight.
On the LRT ride to Recto my mind was full of so many different questions and thoughts. Questions like, "Was it going to be scary?", "Would there be a raid?" and the eternal, "Would I be able to pull it off?" It was then I decided that instead of retreating to a bunch of expectations I should just do it and let things happen as they would. As the LRT train started to slowdown I could see a bunch of old shacks and a ton of stray cats lining teh streets. I hadn't planted any images in my mind so I can't say that i was disappointed or flabbergasted. The train stopped, reached the station and I was shocked as I walked through the Recto Terminal. I walked onto the pavement and immeciately I saw someone approach me. I slowed down and the man, who looked like any other person on the street, quickly started to say in a hushed tone, "fake I.D.?" I simply shook my head out of reflex and the man stepped away. It was strange and I hadn't expected it to be so casual. I walked a few more feet and I saw a cardboard stand with a collage of forged licences, diplomas and deeds taped together and covered in plastic wrapped with a sign tacked on top that stated "ACCEPT RUSH JOBS". The stand was a surprising sight, I hadn't expected it to be so out there. I was quite tempted to take a picture but the man eyd my camera with caution so I decided against being quite so trigger happy. I decided to act like a minor interested in a fake I.D. I asked the man beside the stand how much it would cost me and how long it would take. He quickly asked for documents to draw the information from. I was put off by the request not knowing what papers were needed so I simply asked how long it would take. He answered 350Php and that I could get it within the day and I was baffled at how commonpalce it seemed to be. How could something like this seem to simple? I decided to walk off in search of other stands to see if it was as simple as it seemed.
I wandered around the strip for an hour and there they were beside stalls that sold used books and offered printing jobs. Numerous handmade stands with signs made out of cartolina offering a wide variety of services from simple academic projects like thesis papers, architectural designs and investigative project reports to more official papers like NSO birth certificates, deeds and tax receipts. I was baffled at how humdrum it seemed to be. I approached another stand which seemed to be more focused to academic services. The stand was studded with diplomas from Ateneo, UP and La Salle and things like NSO birth certificates and drivers licenses. The man behind the stand smiled at me engagingly and told me that I should feel free to ask questions. I quickly asked how much a standard research paper would be. His glib manner was something that made the experience something so normal, like I was asking about the weather instead of forgery. He quickly explained that if it was a general topic the they had a stash that they could simply pull one from but if ut was a more complex topic it would take around two weeks to complete but that it would still cost around 250Php. He also added that they accepted works to be finished for example if an art student was not done with a particular sketch they would simply finish it. At this point I had asked somemore mundane questions about how to contact them just to seem more interested then I said thank you and walked away.
The whole idea seemed so natural that the fact that it was illegal seemed to fade away from the picture. Lies-for-sale is a very strong operation. As I waled through the dingy streets I had a strange mix of feelings build up inside of me. I had read this article about how in early 2008 the police had attempted to shut Recto University down but of course failed. I had read this article and the man they were interviewing named Nanding, whose business had been passed onto him by his father, had stated that: “I’ve befriended a lot of policemen; I can get out of jail with just one phone call from a police officer.” Knowing that they can't get caught is something that gave me a sudden understanding about the operation. As I looked back at the experience of visiting Recto University I remember seeing so many people just looking these services. As long as there was a demand there would be a supply no matter what. Two things entered my mind as I started walking to the LRT station. First, was an odd feeling that I had just stepped into a reality where the lines betweem what are legal and illegal had suddenlt evaporated. Then, I started to feel like I had walked into a different world. I knew that the whole operation was wrong which was why I had refused to buy anything. I looked around me at the stalls covered in dust the streets lined with acrid smelling garbage I felt transported. I didn't know whether I had felt disappointment or awe at the place. Now I know it was both as I stepped down from Recto onto Katipunan I started to feel things fall back into place as they were. The previously set boundaries of what is legal and natural fall back in place. It scared me to think that to just be immersed in it started to blur the edges of what was right and wrong when you try to keep an open mind.
In the few hours I spent in Recto many thoughts had built up in my mind. One thing I am sure of is that it is a place that will be alive for years to come. Just standing there ane being so exposed to the atmosphere gives you a strange feeling. It's as if you can do no wrong as long as you are in demand. It gives similarity to how drugs have been able to slip through the radar as well as most criminal activities. There seems to be a love-hate relationship between risky businesses such as the ones I had witnessed in Recto. Many people criticize them for being immoral and yet they thrive because once something like this takes place place in society it starts to grow. It acts like a malignant tumor. The body tries to fight it but it is too fast and strong and it soon reproduces and overpowers the heatlthy cells. It's a scary fact that no one seems to want to face let alone fight.
Try checking this link www.doxcheck.com and join us in our advocacy in battling counterfeit documents.
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