Robbers who looted Oton school in Iloilo say they don’t have money to buy rice

Photo from OTON, Iloilo My Hometown Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Several robbers looted the parents-teachers association (PTA) room inside a school in Oton, Iloilo and left a note on the blackboard saying they don’t have money to buy rice for their family before managing to escape.

A post from a Facebook page focusing on activities within Oton went viral after robbers who took several appliances like electric fans, speakers, and air conditioning units wrote a note asking for understanding, with the words “pasensya na wala kaming bigas, kami ang magnanakaw [we’re sorry, we don’t have rice, we are the robbers],” written on the blackboard.

The photo has gone viral since it was posted last January 15.  Police officers confirmed that the incident was reported to the police station.

While some sympathized with the robbers as prices of basic commodities have risen, some netizens lamented that hard times would never justify committing a crime like robbery.

One commenter asked how the students of the robbed school could attend classes without electric fans and other equipment needed for day-to-day schooling, which the robbers stole.

Some even doubted if it is true that the high prices of basic goods are the true reason why people looted the room.

In a phone interview on Friday, officers from Oton’s police station told INQUIRER.net that they had pinpointed persons of interest who may be behind the incident.

However, they did not reveal the individuals’ identities, as the information is still being validated.

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JPV