patti1227
28th June 2008, 13:51
With the recent postings involving forumer’s loved ones of being robbed, people being robbed and fatally shot, a ghost in my life abruptly re-emerged. September 16, 2006 – San Cristobal, Calamba Laguna. 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
Few days before, I was excited coming home after a few months of working in Baguio City. Early morning of that day, I went to the Land Developer’s office to pay for our monthly house amortization. On my way back to Cabuyao Laguna, I decided to surprise visit our Ophthalmologist family friend and her staff in her clinic at Calamba. I called my mother to let her know that I will be home late. With few pasalubong items from Baguio and native delicacies of Laguna, I eagerly went to her place. As soon as I reached the place and about to knock on the door, I saw a man in his early twenties, clean cut, wearing a ball cap, tall and medium built with a fair complexion inside the inner room (where you will sit on a chair and read the letters on the board in front of you) fixing the letter board and another man on his late thirties, same body size but less shorter and darker complexion fixing the shelves where the eyeglasses are displayed. He politely opened the door and greeted me with so much enthusiasm so I smiled and greeted him back and said “Thank You.” He pointed me to a chair and told me to wait for the Doctor because she’s in the toilet. I asked for the clinic staffs and he said they bought snacks and probably on their way back already. As soon as I turned my back on him and walked towards the chair, he said from my back (“Huwag kang lilingon kung hindi babarilin kita” “Don’t turn around or else I will shoot you”) then poked something cold and hard on my back. I remained calm and stood from where I was standing and hide the fear I suddenly felt. He never gave me another chance to glance at him. He pushed me hard towards the inner room. The tall guy catches me and said “Sorry.” We stared to each other for a few seconds. Then he slowly took my shoulder bag.
I saw my friend, her staff (the other one was absent) and one lady customer lying on the floor with their hands and feet tied with a wire. His remark irked the shorter man and poked his gun on me saying these words to the tall guy “Syota mo ba ito? Gusto mo barilin ko ito sa harap mo? Talian mo na!” “Is this your girlfriend? You want me to shoot here in front of you? Tie her up!” I keep my silence and started saying prayers on my mind. Instantaneously, my loved ones especially my parents came to my mind. The tall guy immediately grabbed my hands, brought it to my back and started tying me with wire. I felt his hands shaking while tying me then he said “Huwag na natin ito ituloy. Umalis na lang tayo.” “Let’s not continue this. Let’s just go.” The other man who proves to be the boss pushed the tall guy away from me, grabbed my hands, and tied the wire tighter and I felt a severe pain on my skin and bone then he tied me on my ankles too. I was wearing tokong jeans (a pant three – four inches above the knee) and I felt a sudden opening wound on my right ankle. He then pushed me on top of the three victims. While lying, he asked where my wallet was. I said I only have a coin purse. He didn’t believe me. He started searching my body and I know by his touch that he wasn’t only trying to reach for the money. I was so terrified I can’t even say a word. He found few hundred pesos both on my pocket and even reached for the secret jeans pocket. He never stop there. He saw I was wearing a rubber shoes. He is a real pro. He took my socks first before he searched the inner pad of the shoe. He saw 1,000 pesos inside. He asked if it’s an original Sketchers brand and I said yes. He then asked me if the plain silver ring I was wearing is original. I said no but he still took it. He leaned towards me and said something I don’t want to remember anymore. He kept on rubbing his head to mine. He took my socks and my shoes when they left along with my friend’s signature eyeglasses, sunglasses, eye medicine, eye tools, contact lenses, money, bags, cell phones and gold jewelries from the Doctor. I usually leave my mobile phone at home each time I go out even before that incident happened. They warned us not to untie each other and shout for help or else they will haunt us back. Before they left, the leader reminded us that he has our Ids.
We were on the floor for about 5 minutes. Since I was atop the other victims and with my lighter weight, I managed to roll over them and stood up. I was trying so hard to untie them but can’t have a clear view while untying them since my hands are still on my back. Minutes later, the establishment owner (a retired Calamba Laguna Police Officer) came in then my friend started shouting for help. He alerted nearby police stations and put checkpoints to different highway exits but to no avail. Three police officers came and started asking us questions. I felt numb. They all rely to me for information because my fellow victims started crying, they were shaking and hysterical. I called my father at his office to inform him but could not find the courage to speak when I heard his voice. I put the phone down. The officers told us to go with them and file a blotter report. We went to their office. I then started to narrate again to Police Investigator the same story I had told the three officers. Then, a police accompanied me to the sketch room and asked me to describe how the robbery suspects look. After sketching, he took out 5 albums of mug shots from different suspects. While looking, that was the only time that what happened begun to come to my senses. I felt exhausted. I refused to have medical attention so with the other victims. I told them it was just a shallow wound. The police brought us back to the clinic. One officer told me that he will bring me home. I refused and I really can’t answer the officer why I wanted to go alone. I took my way home. Alone. Past 8 in the evening.
I rang the doorbell. My cousin opened the gate. She greeted me. I just smiled at her. She sensed something was wrong for not greeting her. Then she saw my feet. She asked me why I was wearing a slipper. She asked for my bag. I didn’t say a word. I left the slipper on the main door and took a deep breathe before I went inside our home. My mother was already waiting for me in the living room. She was all smiles and says “Glad you’re home safe anak (my child). How’s Doctor Aileen?” I hurriedly embraced my mother and burst into tears. She was shocked. Then she started looking at me closely. She noticed wounds and bruises on my arms and ankles and doesn’t have my shoulder bag or anything. My cousin gave me a glass of water. I felt relieved. I began telling them the story. They were both crying. My eldest nephew (then 2 years old) was awaken by our sobbing and when he saw us, he started crying too. I embraced him, my mother and my cousin embraced me. That moment gave me enough courage to really be thankful despite the dark incident. That moment made me feel so lucky to have come home with just minor bruises and wounds.
There are things and lessons in our lives that we need to learn in a hard way.
Others had it on the hardest form with their lives on toll.
Today, as I look back, I am thankful for getting my life back.
Thankful....for just being here.
Few days before, I was excited coming home after a few months of working in Baguio City. Early morning of that day, I went to the Land Developer’s office to pay for our monthly house amortization. On my way back to Cabuyao Laguna, I decided to surprise visit our Ophthalmologist family friend and her staff in her clinic at Calamba. I called my mother to let her know that I will be home late. With few pasalubong items from Baguio and native delicacies of Laguna, I eagerly went to her place. As soon as I reached the place and about to knock on the door, I saw a man in his early twenties, clean cut, wearing a ball cap, tall and medium built with a fair complexion inside the inner room (where you will sit on a chair and read the letters on the board in front of you) fixing the letter board and another man on his late thirties, same body size but less shorter and darker complexion fixing the shelves where the eyeglasses are displayed. He politely opened the door and greeted me with so much enthusiasm so I smiled and greeted him back and said “Thank You.” He pointed me to a chair and told me to wait for the Doctor because she’s in the toilet. I asked for the clinic staffs and he said they bought snacks and probably on their way back already. As soon as I turned my back on him and walked towards the chair, he said from my back (“Huwag kang lilingon kung hindi babarilin kita” “Don’t turn around or else I will shoot you”) then poked something cold and hard on my back. I remained calm and stood from where I was standing and hide the fear I suddenly felt. He never gave me another chance to glance at him. He pushed me hard towards the inner room. The tall guy catches me and said “Sorry.” We stared to each other for a few seconds. Then he slowly took my shoulder bag.
I saw my friend, her staff (the other one was absent) and one lady customer lying on the floor with their hands and feet tied with a wire. His remark irked the shorter man and poked his gun on me saying these words to the tall guy “Syota mo ba ito? Gusto mo barilin ko ito sa harap mo? Talian mo na!” “Is this your girlfriend? You want me to shoot here in front of you? Tie her up!” I keep my silence and started saying prayers on my mind. Instantaneously, my loved ones especially my parents came to my mind. The tall guy immediately grabbed my hands, brought it to my back and started tying me with wire. I felt his hands shaking while tying me then he said “Huwag na natin ito ituloy. Umalis na lang tayo.” “Let’s not continue this. Let’s just go.” The other man who proves to be the boss pushed the tall guy away from me, grabbed my hands, and tied the wire tighter and I felt a severe pain on my skin and bone then he tied me on my ankles too. I was wearing tokong jeans (a pant three – four inches above the knee) and I felt a sudden opening wound on my right ankle. He then pushed me on top of the three victims. While lying, he asked where my wallet was. I said I only have a coin purse. He didn’t believe me. He started searching my body and I know by his touch that he wasn’t only trying to reach for the money. I was so terrified I can’t even say a word. He found few hundred pesos both on my pocket and even reached for the secret jeans pocket. He never stop there. He saw I was wearing a rubber shoes. He is a real pro. He took my socks first before he searched the inner pad of the shoe. He saw 1,000 pesos inside. He asked if it’s an original Sketchers brand and I said yes. He then asked me if the plain silver ring I was wearing is original. I said no but he still took it. He leaned towards me and said something I don’t want to remember anymore. He kept on rubbing his head to mine. He took my socks and my shoes when they left along with my friend’s signature eyeglasses, sunglasses, eye medicine, eye tools, contact lenses, money, bags, cell phones and gold jewelries from the Doctor. I usually leave my mobile phone at home each time I go out even before that incident happened. They warned us not to untie each other and shout for help or else they will haunt us back. Before they left, the leader reminded us that he has our Ids.
We were on the floor for about 5 minutes. Since I was atop the other victims and with my lighter weight, I managed to roll over them and stood up. I was trying so hard to untie them but can’t have a clear view while untying them since my hands are still on my back. Minutes later, the establishment owner (a retired Calamba Laguna Police Officer) came in then my friend started shouting for help. He alerted nearby police stations and put checkpoints to different highway exits but to no avail. Three police officers came and started asking us questions. I felt numb. They all rely to me for information because my fellow victims started crying, they were shaking and hysterical. I called my father at his office to inform him but could not find the courage to speak when I heard his voice. I put the phone down. The officers told us to go with them and file a blotter report. We went to their office. I then started to narrate again to Police Investigator the same story I had told the three officers. Then, a police accompanied me to the sketch room and asked me to describe how the robbery suspects look. After sketching, he took out 5 albums of mug shots from different suspects. While looking, that was the only time that what happened begun to come to my senses. I felt exhausted. I refused to have medical attention so with the other victims. I told them it was just a shallow wound. The police brought us back to the clinic. One officer told me that he will bring me home. I refused and I really can’t answer the officer why I wanted to go alone. I took my way home. Alone. Past 8 in the evening.
I rang the doorbell. My cousin opened the gate. She greeted me. I just smiled at her. She sensed something was wrong for not greeting her. Then she saw my feet. She asked me why I was wearing a slipper. She asked for my bag. I didn’t say a word. I left the slipper on the main door and took a deep breathe before I went inside our home. My mother was already waiting for me in the living room. She was all smiles and says “Glad you’re home safe anak (my child). How’s Doctor Aileen?” I hurriedly embraced my mother and burst into tears. She was shocked. Then she started looking at me closely. She noticed wounds and bruises on my arms and ankles and doesn’t have my shoulder bag or anything. My cousin gave me a glass of water. I felt relieved. I began telling them the story. They were both crying. My eldest nephew (then 2 years old) was awaken by our sobbing and when he saw us, he started crying too. I embraced him, my mother and my cousin embraced me. That moment gave me enough courage to really be thankful despite the dark incident. That moment made me feel so lucky to have come home with just minor bruises and wounds.
There are things and lessons in our lives that we need to learn in a hard way.
Others had it on the hardest form with their lives on toll.
Today, as I look back, I am thankful for getting my life back.
Thankful....for just being here.