Actor’s maul victim vows to press raps

The 28-year-old salesman who was reportedly mauled by actor Philip Salvador and his bodyguards at the height of a pro-Estrada administration rally Saturday vowed to press charges against the movie star.

Complainant Wilbert de Ramos, of Benavidez st., Sta. Cruz, Manila, personally went to the Ermita police station Wednesday night with his lawyer to submit the additional documents needed to file physical injuries and malicious mischief charges against Salvador.

"I will be definitely filing the charges against him. I used to be his fan but not anymore. His hero image is now shattered. I was shocked to see him acting the way he did," De Ramos said.

Meanwhile, Senior Police Officer 4 Marlon Ursua clarified reports that the mauling case is already a "closed" case. "I re-checked the report. It seems that it was just a minor slip-up by the desk duty officer. If the case had been indeed settled, I, being the investigator on case, should had been the first one to know about it," Ursua said.

Reports earlier said that the notation "case settled" was reflected in the Ermita police blotter entry of the mauling incident. According to police, Salvador has not yet submitted his version of the incident to the Ermita police station.

De Ramos himself admitted that neither Salvador nor his lawyers have approached him to settle the case amicably.

"We have not met since the incident. Should he make an offer to settle the case amicably, I still have to consult with my lawyer. But I am definitely filing charges against him," De Ramos said.

De Ramos added that he is personally thankful that an ABS-CBN television crew is at the area when the mauling happened.

"I am thankful that they were there. Had they not been there, I could have suffered more injuries at their hands," he said.

De Ramos said his experience of being beaten-up by an action star was so fantastic that even his relatives could not believe it at first. – Mike Frialde