Bloody, brazen Laguna bank heist angers Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is fuming over Friday's gruesome killing of nine people and wounding of a tenth at a branch of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) in Cabuyao, Laguna. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita on Saturday said Mrs Arroyo was dismayed over the brazenness of the attack against the bank's employees and its client. "Talagang galit na galit si Pangulo, inatasan si PNP chief Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon Jr na masusing itong imbestigahan (The president was very angry when she ordered PNP chief Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon Jr. to investigate the matter thoroughly)," Ermita said in an interview on dzRH radio. President Arroyo on Friday ordered the PNP to investigate the incident, which Calabarzon police director Chief Supt. Ricardo Padilla branded as the "work of the devil." On Saturday morning, Bombo Radyo cited initial reports reaching Padilla's office that the thieves failed to open the vault containing P3,086.00, $36,600.23 and 1 million yen. Meanwhile, Ermita's son Edwin, RCBC vice president for corporate affairs, said that while the company was "very disappointed" over the incident, it saw no need to change security arrangements. "Lahat ng bangko ginagawa ang lahat para protektahan ang empleyado at depositor (All banks take steps to protect their employees and depositors)," he said. At least for now, the RCBC is not keen on offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects, according to Erwin. He added it could be possible that the robbers destroyed the closed circuit television (CCTV) system at the bank. "Under duress ang lahat na empleyado namin. If inside job, o kahit not necessarily inside job... kung kayo magnanakaw, gagawa kayo ng surveillance (Our employees were under duress. And even if it was not an inside job, the robbers' instinct would have been to destroy any surveillance equipment)," he said. - GMANews.TV