RCBC Robbery Rant

Robbery.

I’ve heard of robbery stories ever since I was little. It’s a regular in news channels. I’ve also accepted the fact that sometimes we couldn’t do anything about it, no matter how we prevent it. We are left to just pray that it wouldn’t happen to us personally, and if ever it will, to have our lives spared and act sensibly on trying times. Robberies have many fueling reasons behind it, I’m sure. But nothing beats the drive to soothe monetary desperation. Robberies, especially bank robberies, target on tangible items or currencies of value. But robberies, in a more tolerable perspective, need not involve the destruction of lives.

I was reading a newspaper last night, at around 10ish, when GMA 7 issued a newsflash stating that the crucial witness to the heinous RCBC Robbery, in Cabuyao Laguna, already died, adding up the death toll to 10.

There goes the only one witness, crushing the hopes of the few. But seriously who can blame his spirit? How can he have possibly survived the shot at the temple? It would take time, and taking time to solve problems in this country, is something that we’re already masters of. I know almost everyone must have been praying for a miracle, but I guess it wasn’t enough.

And for some who don’t know what the hell I am talking about, well consider yourselves obliviously lucky to be far away from these types of dangers and gruesome information that would make your blood boil and your heart crunch.

For a brief recount, RCBC branch in Cabuyao, Laugna was robbed Friday Morning, March 16, 2008 at the earliest time the doors opened for their regular transaction. A total of 8 RCBC employees were killed and this included the helpless janitor. They were all lined up and bullet wounds depict that it was done in “execution style” (at head area-gunpoint). The chief of Police in the area, Moises Pagaduan, received a phone call at 9:20 am from the administration office of Laguna Industrial Science Park to report probably one of the bloodiest and gruesome bank robberies in Philippine history.

Upon reaching the scene of the crime, they saw the tables were disarrayed, bodies lined up, guards missing and the Mitsubishi color silver gray XHS 341, owned by one of the employees, were used as a getaway car. All security videos successfully destroyed. Most importantly, they found the relationship manager, Isagani Pastor, at that time still fighting for his life. But unfortunately, the closest eye witness died last night.

So now, a total of 9 RCBC employees and 1 RCBC client were killed in the bank robbery. This sends out a deafening alarm to the region. It sends a continuous threat to thousands of bank branches all over the Philippines. And most especially, it again shakes up citizens to reevaluate security measures and vigilance in situations like these.

Right now, certain sketches, information from remaining witnesses (outside the bank), are the main hopes of capturing these infidels that you’d want to mentally flay alive. Seriously I want to flay them alive. Dip them in my imaginary artificial volcano boiling of hot magma. I couldn’t help but feel angry with the system and express my sorrow and frustrations to the shocked families of the fatalities. I’m sure no one in that bank deserved that kind of treatment. Robbing a bank, destroying its fixed assets, draining its money, is one thing, but murdering people (esp. in execution style) is something gravely sickening and unacceptable. Of course, at some circumstances some robbers have also taken lives, but it’s usually a rarity that wered faced in certain circumstances. Whatever happened in RCBC is a bank robbery plus a firing squad making the branch a trigger happy murdering fort, which had helpless people as its targets.

Investigators are finding the possible loopholes to the security systems. Driving a car without a plate number. Thorough background investigation of guards on duty. Bank location and bank security have all been taken in consideration. But like I said, no matter how thorough the system may be, people, depending on their mental severity, would still find ways to test it. Those who robbed and murdered RCBC are not any different from murderers in Johanessburg, South Africa. They’ve made a sorrow choice in their sorry little lives. The act was premeditated. It earned them a ticket to lethal injection and hell, chronologically. I seriously hope they get caught and undergo a public trial and execution. That would be sweet.

But kidding, or not kidding aside, I hope this makes people appreciate their lives more. This situation could happen to anyone. It could happen to any bank. Therefore this incident opens up ways be vigilant at all trying times. I also hope this serves as a wake up call to heighten up bank securities, or any security system (tech or not) of public establishments. After all, in situations like these, all we can ever do is to prevent it in anyway we possibly can; and pray that our lives do not hang in the in guilty hands.