Heinous Crimes in our Midst: Are We still Safe?

I heard the news when it broke out, but I wasn’t that bothered — until I saw the photos. 8 people died in a massacre in Calamba, Laguna. according to reports, “the gunman aimlessly rained shots at four separate residences.” In a separate incident, 10 people died in an RCBC bank robbery. “The victims were made to line up and shot in the head,” according to reports. Here’s a photo of the RCBC robbery-massacre. You’re warned about the graphic nature of the picture, so please proceed at your own risk. Note that all victims are made to lie down, with no gunshot wounds on their body — just the head, execution style.

If you want to see other gory photos of the RCBC robbery -massacre, go here. Now, I don’t know what emotion first comes up in your case upon seeing the pictures — pity for the family of the massacre victims, rage against those who did it, anger towards the authorities for not stepping up efforts to maintain peace and order, or fear that you and your family are no longer safe anymore.

Imagine this: you go home early because you just happen to miss your son and thought that he’d be delighted if you bring home pasalubong. You have no cash with you and so you thought of passing by the bank to withdraw a few hundreds of pesos. You were smiling as you walk towards the bank, as you think of the cheers of delight from your little one. Then BANG! You’re dead. Imagine that happening to you or to the one you love.

When such heinous crime happens, you can’t help but ask “why?” Were the perpetrators high on drugs? Have they been pushed to the brink of financial distress that they have no choice but to do it? Or maybe they know that the authorities are inutile to go after them, and so they do it anyway. I don’t know. You be the judge.

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