FACADE of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Capitol Branch on Osmeña Boulevard. Cebu City. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
An “internal data processing error” that led to discrepancies in bank account balances alarmed a number of clients of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) on Wednesday morning.
In its advisory posted on Facebook, BPI said the technical glitch saw some transactions occurring between April 27 and May 2 to have been “double-posted” as of June 6.
“We have identified the root cause of this error, and are temporarily suspending access to electronic channels to speed up rectification,” it read.
“We anticipate full resolution of this error within today. We wish to reassure our clients that this matter will be resolved expediently, and that none of them will lose money from this incident.”
The Ayala-led BPI also brushed aside fears that their system was hacked.
“We apologize for the inconvenience that this may have caused. Please note that our resolution efforts do not require any client to submit personal data to any party; in particular, via a link embedded in e-mails or third-party site.”
“We wish to assure all clients that the integrity of their transactions and account balances will be maintained. Please accept our gratitude for your patience, and our apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced.”
One of BPI’s clients in Cebu City said he was anxious when he learned that several persons lost significant amounts in their bank accounts. When he checked his account, he lost P69,000.
“Naapil gyud diay ko (I was among those who were affected),” he told Cebu Daily News.
The client, who requested anonymity, said he nonetheless stayed calm when BPI announced that their system was not hacked and that there was just an error in their internal data processing system.
“Sige lang, makuha ra man kuno namo balik ang among kwarta (BPI assured us that we will get our money back anyway),” he said.
Another depositor, Samantha Wyn, for her part, was angry over the glitch.
“Fix that s..t right away. Di makapagwithdraw. (I can’t withdraw money),” she said in her Facebook post.
Other BPI account holders also brought their sentiments to social media.
“BPI and BPI account holders kapit lang. Even if ganito incident today, I trust this bank and I am not worried about my money in BPI. 🙂 Hehe panic and spreading panic will not bring out anything good,” said Krist Añonuevo.
Netizen Raymon Garcia Dullana used humor to calm other BPI account holders like him.
He said: “Dear BPI, Thank you so much for making us all equal today. The rich become poor, the poor become poorer. But at least, we’re all poor.”