Last May 16, six armed men stormed an isolated branch of RCBC at the Industrial Park in Cabuyao, Laguna. They took an approximate of 10-15M pesos from the bank and the lives of eight bank personnel, a security guard and a client. This incident has been tagged by the PNP as the ’bloodiest bank robbery-murder’ event in the history of the country. Everyone was shocked and horrified by the violent assault but you can’t say no one knew this would happen.
The PNP said they received information that a bank robbery would happen that day but didn’t expect it to happen inside an industrial park. I wasn’t dreaming when I heard Razon say this on T.V. Patrol. Then PGMA went furious and ordered the PNP to have a thorough investigation to capture the animals. And as a loyal puppet, Sec. Gonzales also went berserk and wanted the animals to die and rot in hell. But there will be no shoot to kill order says Razon.
Task Force RCBC was formed and days later, the team had an ‘encounter’ with 4 out of the 6 suspected robbers: Pepito Magsino, 35, Vivencio Javier, 55; Angelito Malabanan, 35; and Rolly Lachica, 50, who were all killed in the shootout in the village of Pagaspas, Tanauan City. At this point in the story, it is important to note that the PNP has a ‘witness’ and that the ‘witness’ was the one who identified the 6 suspects from police files. Razon said that the witness identified men possibly involved with organized syndicates that work in the Calabarzon area.
So with the 4 of the 6 suspects out, basically, everyone should be happy now. But it’s not the case since the kin of the RCBC victims have doubts regarding the legitimacy of the Task Force RCBC’s deed.
The family of the 4 men killed in Tanauan City cries out that this was a rob out. Even the Commission on Human Rights are out to investigate whether the Task Force was right or, as always, not.
I am partially paranoid that in the end the 4 men killed were merely used to white wash this whole event and that the culprits are still out there rejoicing their win. The bad thing is that the 2 remaining suspects are men in uniform but still unconfirmed whether they belong to the AFP or the PNP.
In this country, hearing news about police or military involvement in crimes such as robbery, kidnapping and killing are nothing new. Heck, it’s normal just like hearing about corruption in the government and cheating in polls and such. We have this culture and it’s sad, terribly, terribly sad. Frankly, I don’t want to label this as part of our culture but when something dark and twisted such as this becomes a norm in everyday activity, it means that society, our society, is sinking below moral grounds. Those in power, or in this case men in uniform, should be the ones whom the people can trust and turn to. I mean, c’mon, that’s basic. But in this country, it’s either they’re an accessory to a crime or they’re the geniuses behind it. And it makes you think: why would these fools do this? Would you send your child for 4 years to train in a police or military academy only to become a criminal in the end? Don’t tell me that government institutions are passing on a misguided syllabus to wannabe police or military men. That’s crazy. And when they get caught, they always blame poverty. Of course, lack of money is a factor but when your suppose to serve and protect the people, commiting a crime, however petty, is unforgivable sh*t.
This is possibly ‘the’ worst robbery-murder case in the country…that is if (1) the two uniformed suspects will remain at large, (2) the 4 men killed during an ‘encounter’ in Tanauan City are innocent, (3) the security in banks and other commercial establishments are not upgraded; equipped with a working CCTV, and (4) the ten victims of the RCBC will not have their justice.
15 Comments
May 24, 2008 at 1:30 pm
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May 25, 2008 at 2:47 am
The RCBC Task Force tells us what kind of “police intelligence” there is in this nation. Of course, that’s based on the assumption that there is such a thing as “police intelligence”. The same goes with “military intelligence”.
I don’t exactly know how it came about, or the necessities which paved the way for it, but “police intelligence” these days seems to have dried down to anorexic proportions, to the point of madness, or lunacy, or sheer insanity—three ways of saying the same thing.
Echoing Ricardo Javier:
“It is no longer safe nowadays. You are being killed inside the comfort of your house.”
And the butchers wear uniforms.
May 25, 2008 at 3:46 am
niña:
Classe ! pour le jour leçon de grammaire :
Massacre des suspects supposés sans rencontre : rubout.
splice:
“The butcher wear uniforms.”
Indeed. out of the entire number of bank robbers that entered RCBC, at least five were in PNP uniforms. They all took part in killing all the ten people inside the bank in cold blood.
Who’s ricardo javier anyway? Media says something about a joey javier but it’s the first time i read about ricardo. There’s a real person called “jake” javier. He is suspected to be deeply “in”, with the group that robbed RCBC but apparently with the death of his dad (allegedly he is the son of the late ex-chairman javier) he will be going underground. And in batangas, that is easy to do. They have entire barangays in batangas where all the people are involved in crime. The same people also administer training like university staff to would-be criminals from mindanao, northern luzon, visayas. When the would-be criminals graduate, they become adopted sons of the barangays that trained them in the first place.
Imagine that! A living crime university complex right smack in the middle of the country!
What has PNP, AFP, NBI done about it? They have done squat. That is why up to 2050, these crime university complexes will expand and probably have branches in Hong Kong, Canada, US, Europe, Japan, Africa, Latin America and so many other places including possibly underground submarine stations below the sea bed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The poseur policemen (and women?) even registered in the RCBC log book as : Police Inspector Jun ALVARES, Police Officer 1 Allan PAULE, Police Officer 1 Boy MINA, Police Officer 1 Gerly ONA, and Police Officer 1 Albert MALAYA. They are not real policemen (or women). But they are real people, real as real can get. For all we know, they merely placed the police ranks in front of their names, simply because at the time they were wearing those damned police uniforms.
That’s part of the modus operandi of criminals these days. Some even wear the uniforms of congressmen and senators. Some wear the uniforms of nuns and priests. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose.
But imagine chatting with these real, real people on the internet? Or meeting them on the streets? Sitting beside them in the train or bus? Walking shoulder to shoulder with them in malls? He he he. You never really know, yeah? You might even find them on friendstr.
When i was a kid, i used to pass by a small montessori school of pick pockets / snatchers training very young children to steal from the pockets and bags or wallets, of unknowing victims.
I did not know that since the time of Mahoma, the Batangas Crime University Complex, or call it the Batangas Crime University City, existed. To think that it’s close to UPLB, i wonder if some of the children of the staff, faculty, students and alumni of Batangas Crime University City are also involved with UPLB in one way or the other?
Shit.
May 25, 2008 at 4:34 pm
The rush to kill suspects instead of capturing them alive is suspicious. Killing some and declaring the case solved would allow others to get away. It’s amazing how fast the PNP found out who the robbers were.
May 25, 2008 at 11:17 pm
manuelbuencamino:
absolutely right. it is as if the people that rubbed out the supposed / alleged / purported suspects (ersatz / kuno / daw) are the real ones behind the robbery. ne?
May 26, 2008 at 4:58 am
Girbaudz & Manuel Buencamino
Which is exactly why there is a monumental injustice with the term/phrase “police intelligence”. How silly could a term be?
May 26, 2008 at 9:23 am
Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged.
my father was one of the victms. we are all hoping and praying that these animals be captured.
May 26, 2008 at 3:30 pm
[...] RCBC-Cabuyao Robbery-Murder « [...]
May 26, 2008 at 3:31 pm
[...] RCBC-Cabuyao Robbery-Murder « [...]
May 26, 2008 at 3:32 pm
[...] RCBC-Cabuyao Robbery-Murder « [...]
May 26, 2008 at 8:05 pm
those perps are satan’s child…
and i really don’t believe that the police have caught/killed them..
i just hope that other people are doing their jobs right..especially the forensics, but with are country’s poor investigation system/technique, i guess that we’re all just gonna trust in karma’s hand..
May 27, 2008 at 3:56 am
whatever happened, this crime is indeed horrible. My friend who is an accounting staff feels unsafe now everytime she goes to Bank.
May 29, 2008 at 10:37 am
The whole justice system, as well as crime and punishment in the Philippines are screwed up. The politicians, law enforcement, military , armed forces (whatever !) belong to that one big, bloated evil happy family that is UNBRIDDLED CRIME, CORRUPTION & GREED. The whole national conscience is in question too, what with the proliferation of those gruesome crime photos being forwarded in emails & posted in blogs, with nary a thought for the profound grief , loss and pain suffered by those most affected by this heinous crime. Where is the respect for the dead for goodness sake ???!!! If we cannot put much hope in the “police” (a.k.a. the criminal syndicate) doing an honest job in capturing the real demons behind this crime (i dare not call them animals as animals are way above these sub-humans) , at least we as a people should do what is paramount, and that is to respect the victims of the crime, to walk in their shoes & those of their families and to rally for justice for the growing number of the unavenged. PLEASE, if anyone of you is in possesion of these crime photos, PLEASE STOP FORWARDING THEM. Hindi naman ito nakakatulong, it only really serves to glorify the handiwork of these boogeymen and furhter desensitizes the soul of this nation . PLEASE …
May 29, 2008 at 10:59 am
When I first heard news of this I felt really terrified for myself, my family and everyone. I felt so,so sad for those people who just went to work one day and never came home again to their families. Tragic beyond words . After the photos came out in the net, I’ll probably need counselling (some idiot emailed them to me! cried all night ) . How & why this could happen defies logic.
June 15, 2008 at 1:48 pm
fuck the police all the killings was a rob out. they killed vivencio javier the father of jake even though he is not connected with the robbery. its jake who done it why the hell they killed mr. vivencio and the poor gardener and they will say that they’re one of the robbers. fuck the police!