Shuttle from Makati to Alabang, latest victim of robbery

We do not like writing bad news here in this site but we feel like it is also our obligation to inform you people living in the South about the perils that you might be encountering while living in this so-called peaceful community.

Alabang Bulletin last night heard vague reports that a shuttle service and all of its passengers including the driver were robbed off all their belongings last Friday night on its way from Makati to Alabang.

The shuttle came from the Standard Chartered parking lot and was on its way to Alabang and Las Pinas via the Skyway. The robbers went on the last trip around 8:30pm.

The robbery was reportedly done by three normal looking men, according to sources, that is why the dispatchers and other passengers did not know that the three were up to no good.

According to one dispatcher, the crooks were armed with guns.

The heist allegedly happened in the Paranaque portion of the Skyway. The robbers had sacks  inside their bags and used them to put all the belongings of the passengers.

One robber even drove the van around an area in Paranaque as his cohorts collected the belongings of the passengers.

The driver and the victims then went to the nearest police station in Paranaque to report the incident.

This is really scary. You think that you would be safe once on a shuttle service since you see familiar faces and it seems like a private means of transportation but things like this still happen.

We are not sure about the other details about the incident as we only heard this from another passenger and the dispatcher who seemed like he was embarrassed because of the incident.

“O nga po eh, nalusutan kami,” he muttered.

What can be done after an incident like this?

There are no guards in the parking area unlike the terminal in the SM Makati parking lot.

Can self-policing help? Can dispatchers check the bags of those riding the shuttle prior to boarding to ensure that they don’t have any weapons?

We hope something is done about this.

For now, please be aware of the passengers you ride with. If you sense something fishy or if there are suspicious-looking characters inside the van, maybe you can tell the dispatchers and the driver before the van leaves or just go to another van.