Manila mayor orders arrest of gov't news team maulers

MANILA Mayor Alfredo Lim has ordered the city police to pursue a group of young men who allegedly ganged up and mauled news crew members of the state-run People's Television Network (PTV) on Friday.

"[Y]esterday I ordered Col. [Amante] Daro to round up and arrest the suspects on the beating of a Channel 4 reporter the [o]ther day," Lim said Saturday.

The PTV earlier said that its reporter Bernard Tan and cameraman Dante Morada were driving along Sta. Mesa, Manila, when three to four young men appeared at the corner of Valenzuela and V. Mapa Streets.

The young men, believed to be under the influence of either alcohol or illegal drugs, initially hit the news crew's vehicle.

When the victims alighted from their car, they were physically attacked by the young men who also stoned them and the car.

In a PTV report, Lim condemned the alleged attack and said the suspects should be held liable for stoning the victims and damaging the government vehicle used by them.

Meanwhile, Daro said an investigation has been launched to identify the suspects and determine the motives of their actions. 

He added that police search and patrol operations have been intensified to prevent similar incidents. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)