Battle-tested Marine killed by DVD vendors

A young Marine officer, who had battled Abu Sayyaf bandits in Mindanao, was killed in a clash with DVD and VCD vendors in Baclaran, Parañaque City the other night.

Cpl. Mario Lafuerte Jr., 29, died on the spot after vendors on the southbound lane of Roxas Boulevard fronting a Muslim reclamation area ganged up on him and hit him using metal pipes and bottles.

PO1 Eric Sarino, of the Station Investigation Unit, said Lafuerte and fellow Marines, Cpl. Al Khaizar Kalbi and Pvt. 1st class Russel Villa, decided to check out the DVD stalls in Baclaran following a drinking spree at around 9 p.m.

Kalbi spoke in Tausug as he haggled with the Muslim vendors.

Bystanders said the Marine officer argued with the vendors then allegedly threatened them over the prices of their goods.

The vendors responded by drawing their weapons, which were steel pipes and bottles.

Kalbi and Villa were able to run away from the irate vendors, but Lafuerte was left behind and ganged upon.

He sustained fatal head injuries from the numerous blows he received.

After receiving word of the incident, Parañaque police chief Superintendent Ronald Estilles ordered his men to conduct a follow-up operation and arrest the suspects.

When policemen returned to the area, none of the vendors involved in the incident were around.

According to the Muslim leaders in the area, the suspects were not from their community, but from Taguig and Culiat in Quezon City.

"We will search for the killers with the help of the other Marines. We have also started coordinating with both the Taguig and Quezon City police," Estilles said in an interview.

Meanwhile, Lafuerte’s superiors extended their sympathy to the family of the slain Marine.

Sgt. Arsenio Ibañez said Lafuerte was a huge loss to the Philippine Marines because of his long exposure to combat and his skills in martial arts.

"I was with him battling Abu Sayyaf bandits in Mindanao. He holds a black belt so he was really good in combat," Ibañez said in an TV interview.