Woman beats up Quezon City lawmaker’s mother-in-law

MANILA, Philippines - A woman was arrested for allegedly beating up the mother-in-law of actor and Quezon City 5th District Rep. Alfred Vargas on Tuesday afternoon.

Cynthia Huang, 37, of San Juan City, allegedly slapped Nerissa Espiritu, 64, inside a Banco de Oro branch in Barangay Valencia following an argument over a chair, Cubao police station commander Superintendent Marlou Martinez said.

Espiritu, mother-in-law of Vargas, said she was about to sit on a chair reserved for the elderly when Huang grabbed the chair and occupied it.

Martinez said a confrontation ensued between Espiritu and Huang .

At the height of their argument, Huang allegedly slapped Espiritu several times and hit her with a piece of acrylic glass leaflet.

The victim suffered injuries and was taken to the UERM Memorial Hospital for treatment, police said.

Huang was held by the bank’s security guards and turned over to the police.

Police have filed charges of attempted homicide against the suspect before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.

Huang refused to comment when asked by reporters about the incident.

Martinez said they were coordinating with the management of the bank to review the footage of the incident caught on a closed-circuit television camera.

Vargas, who reported the incident to the police, condemned Huang for hurting a senior citizen.