MANILA, Philippines — Somewhere in the news pages I keep reading about the tourist police, tourist police. I’m not a tourist – is that why I haven’t seen them?

Neither have the tourists who have been robbed – and robbed of fun and happy memories of our beautiful islands and dynamic cities. Three English girls were robbed by their taxi-driver, who also left a black-and-blue souvenir of a punch on Donna’s arm.

Two Koreans had their wallets snatched by the kutsero. Coming out of a bar, a German had his pockets emptied and blood streaming down his face from a gash on the head. A Brazilian couple was forced to pay P1,000 for a calesa ride just because it was raining, for a distance of three blocks.

My friend was shocked to see a man grab a balikbayan’s purse moments after she stepped out of a money changer’s shop. Right on cue, the snatcher was picked up by his motorcycle-riding partner, and the two sped away, smoothly. Neither man wore a helmet – to show their defiance? What the snatcher wore was a grin, which he flashed at the hapless security guards of the balikbayan’s hotel.

Should such incidents be reported to the Department of Tourism, or the police? If you were the tourist, what would you do, besides swear not to come back for more fun?