The Philippine Star

Cop in ‘taho tantrum’ gets medal

- by EMMANUEL TUPAS – With Alexis Romero, Edu Punay, Non Alquitran, Cecille SuerteFeli­pe, Helen Flores

The Philippine National Police (PNP) commended yesterday the police officer who was doused with taho or soybean dessert by a Chinese woman at the Metro Rail Transit 3 over the weekend.

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde conferred the Medalya ng Papuri (Commendati­on Medal) on Police Officer 1 William Cristobal, whose photograph with his uniform drenched in taho went viral on Facebook.

Albayalde lauded Cristobal for keeping his composure despite a humiliatin­g experience when Jiale Zhang, 23, threw a cup of taho at him after she was barred from entering the MRT-3 Boni Avenue station in Mandaluyon­g City.

The PNP chief said Cris- tobal should be emulated by other police officers for not losing his cool and remaining profession­al while dealing with an irate commuter.

“He showed to the public that our policemen treat people with the same respect whether they are foreigners or Filipinos,” Albayalde told reporters.

He urged foreigners to follow the country’s laws and culture.

He pushed for Zhang’s deportatio­n for being an undesirabl­e alien.

Cristobal has been in the police service for 10 years. He started his career at the Manila Police District and is now assigned with the National Capital Region Police Office Regional Mobile Force Battalion in Taguig City.

He said he only followed the directive of the PNP chief to exercise maximum tolerance at all times.

Malacañang reminded for- eigners to comply with Philippine laws and rules.

“Foreigners who stay in the country should behave, otherwise they would face deportatio­n,” presidenti­al spokesman Salvador Panelo said. “We will not allow them to disrespect authoritie­s or violate any law or ordinance in this country.”

Panelo said the incident should not be blown up, noting that the Chinese are not the only ones who displayed rude behavior in the past.

He also chided Vice President Leni Robredo, who said the incident should be a wakeup call for the administra­tion to stop giving “special treatment” to Chinese.

Former special assistant to the president and senatorial aspirant Christophe­r Go said Zhang should be deported for her actions.

“She should be deported because she has no respect. we Filipinos respect our police,” he said.

Go reminded the public to respect members of the uniformed service who risk their lives to protect the country.

Police filed charges of direct assault, unjust vexation and disobedien­ce to a person in authority against Zhang before the Mandaluyon­g City prosecutor’s office on Sunday night.

Eastern Police District director Chief Supt. Bernabe Balba said Zhang was accompanie­d by her lawyer, Zandra Respall, during inquest proceeding­s.

Based on the complaint, Zhang was entering the MRT3 Boni station when she was stopped by security guards because she was carrying taho.

Assistant City Prosecutor Herbert Abugan is set to rule on whether to deport Zhang for her behavior.

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