20 vendors beat up cop

At least 20 Muslim vendors allegedly beat up, robbed and disarmed of his service firearm an off-duty policeman who was buying diapers for his baby at a public market in Pasig City last Tuesday.

Metro police chief Director Ricardo de Leon ordered a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the incident involving Muslims and Police Officer 1 Francisco Castro, 30, who is assigned at Camp Crame.

De Leon ordered Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela, director of the Eastern Police District (EPD), to coordinate with leaders of Muslim communities during his investigation so as not to spark another round of protest actions against the government.

"We don’t want the delicate issue to be sensationalized so we must coordinate with our Muslim brothers to get to the bottom of this isolated incident," De Leon said.

The attack on the police officer occurred hours after President Arroyo met with leaders of several Muslim groups who were protesting the alleged indiscriminate rounding up of their Muslim brothers by agents of the anti-terror task force.

Initial reports reaching Valenzuela showed that Castro was buying diapers for his baby at the Blaheros Market in Pasig City when the Muslim vendors surrounded him at about 8:30 p.m.

The vendors started punching and kicking the officer’s body despite his pleadings, Valenzuela said.

After a brief scuffle, the suspects overpowered Castro and forcibly grabbed his caliber .45 service firearm and took his wallet containing P2,800 in cash, his Philippine National Police (PNP) identification card and other personal belongings.

The suspects scampered toward different directions leaving behind Castro, who sustained contusions and bruises in different parts of the body. He went home after being treated at a hospital.

Valenzuela said one of the suspects, Jal-Jal Mendoza, 45, of R. Santos street, Barangay Palatiw was taken in for questioning during follow-up operations.

Mendoza is now cooperating with the EPD in the investigation of the case.

Valenzuela has ordered a manhunt against the other suspects.