Who is this man who went viral after stealing a cell phone?

Have you seen the viral interview of the man who took a cell phone left unattended in a canteen in Ermita, Manila? He was caught in the act via CCTV but he vehemently denied it, reasoning that he merely took what was in front of him.

Netizens began to condemn the man, but things took a turn when someone spotted that the suspect wore a PWD identification card.

The man's name is Peejay Dela Cruz, but he is known online as Otlum, the Tagalog word "multo" (ghost) spelled backwards. In an episode of "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho," Otlum shared the story of his life and confirmed that he has a psychosocial disability.

"Lumalaban po ako ng psychosocial. Sa inyo pong kaalaman ang psychosocial ay hindi mentally ill. Hindi ka siraulo. Alam mo ang ginagawa mo but you have confusions. You're confused all the time," he said.

("I'm have psychosocial [disability]. For your information, those with psychosocial disability are not mentally ill. You're not crazy. You know what you are doing, but you have the tendency to be confused all the time.")

Otlum hails from San Rafael, Bulacan, but his parents and all his siblings have passed away. He has two children, but he left them with their mother while he is battling depression.

"Kahit maospital ako, ako lang mag-isa. Ako lahat sa buhay ko! Pero kahit ganun ako'y nag iisa hindi ko inisip na gumawa ng masama para lang mabuhay ako," he said.

("Even if I get hospitalized, I am alone. I do everything myself! But even though

I'm alone, I never think about doing something bad to make a living.")
Otlum said he went to Manila in 2015 to sell bedsheets. Afterwards, he entered the world of massage to earn an income.

"Nung mag-pandemya naman talaga naman po, Diyos ko po. Zero na tao, wala talagang tao. Hindi ko alam kung paano ang buhay. I see myself as a street entertainer," he said.

("When the pandemic hit, there were zero customers, no people at all. I did not know how I could live. I see myself as a street entertainer.")

Despite his hardships and his condition, Otlum is known by many as a kind-hearted soul who freely shares his blessings with others.

"Pag may extrang bigay sa kanyang mga pagkain, binibigyan niya po kami [When he receives extra food, he gives some to us]," said Maricel Celis.

"Pagka nadadaanan niya ako, 'Pangkape ninyo, nay.' Inabutan niya ko. Magugulat na lang ako [When he passes by, he hands me some money. I just get surprised]," added Aida Flores.

"Hindi po siya nanggugulo. Kahit asarin siya ng kabataan [He doesn't cause a ruckus, even when the kids tease him]," said Eduardo Villaflor.

However, Otlum is not immune to temptation. He does not have a record of taking drugs at the barangay, but he admitted it to KMJS. He said he has already stopped doing it.

"Ang pag-amin ng isang tao sa pinakamadilim na parte ng kanyang buhay ay uri ng katapangan. Opo, gumamit ako ng droga. Pero hindi ako proud. Mga kabataan, huwag kayong sumubok," he said.

("Admitting the darkest part of your life is a form of courage. Yes, I used drugs. But I'm not proud of it. To the youth, do not do it.")
As for stealing the phone, Otlum said poverty drove him to sell it for P1,650.

"Itinago ko naman 'yung sim card at 'yung memory [card] dahil alam ko na may mga CCTV doon sa premises, at baka maghanap nang sa ganon maisoli ko din ito sa may-ari," he said.

("I hid the sim card and the memory [card] because I know there are CCTV in the premises and someone might look for it, so I will return them to the owner.")

Joey Esquivel, the owner of the stolen phone, went to the barangay with his brother to file a complaint against Otlum after checking the CCTV. When they faced him, however, Otlum was not apologetic and attempted to justify what he did.

To find Otlum easier, Joey's brother, Joshua, posted a video of their encounter at the barangay on social media. The two parties were able to settle their differences that evening, but Otlum was surprised to find himself viral the next day.

"Kinabukasan ate na-windang ako umabot sa lahat ng uri ng social media na ang Otlum ay nagnakaw," he said. "Pumutok sa buong social media. Pinaglaruan ako ng mga vloggers."

("The next day I was shocked that the incident exploded on social media. The vloggers made fun of me.")

Joey apologized that the incident went viral, while Joshua admitted that it was wrong of him to post the video. However, he said that he only wanted to warn others to be wary of Otlum.

Otlum also asked for forgiveness for what he did and promised to think about his actions.

"Patawarin n'yo po ako. Nagkamali po ako. Inaamin ko. I take all the accountability. Pero wag n'yo naman po sanang tuldokan at husgahan ang pagkatao ko. Tulungan n'yo po ako magbagong buhay," he said.

("Please forgive me. I made a mistake. I admit it. I take all the accountability. But please don't judge my whole being for it. Please help me turn over a new leaf.")

Meanwhile, Alyannah Lagasca, the National Chairperson of the Youth for Mental Health Coalition, reminded everyone to be sensitive when it comes to dealing with  issues about mental health.

"Kita natin ang kaisipang pangkalusugan ay isang sensitibong topic. Hindi natin masasabi talaga na dahil sa kanilang disorder o mental health condition kaya nila nagagawa ang mga partikular na bagay. Ang bawat aksyon, ang bawat sinasabi, ang pag-iisip ng isang tao ay naiimpluwensyahan ng mga tao sa kanyang paligid at ng mga bagay-bagay at sitwasyon na nangyayari sa kanya sa pang-araw-araw. "

("Mental health is a sensitive topic in itself. We can't say whether a person's mental health condition is the reason s/he does certain things. A person's action is influenced by the things that are happening around him/her.")

—MGP, GMA Integrated News