Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Guv’s daughter sues Japanese, seeks damages
THE lawyer daughter of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has filed a complaint for serious physical injuries against a Japanese national whom she accused of punching her at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport early this month.
Lawyer Ma. Esperanza Christina Codilla filed the complaint against Isao Tanaka, also known as Dick Tanaka, at the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office.
She is also asking the court to let Tanaka pay P3 million in damages.
If she wins in the case, Codilla plans to donate P2 million of the damages that would be awarded to her to the Crusade Against Violence-Visayas and P1 million to a charity for children.
She filed the complaint against Tanaka “for physically assaulting me using treacherous means and with the abuse of superior strength for which reason I have suffered grave injuries which will cause me to suffer and illness for more than 30 days.”
Still detained
Tanaka remains detained at the Bureau of Immigration Detention Center in Bicutan, Taguig, City.
The incident happened last April 8 when Codilla had just arrived at an airport in Manila from Cebu aboard Philippine Airlines Flight 848. The two were on the same flight.
They were at the arrival area waiting for their baggage. She was talking with Exuperio Bajarias Jr., who was also on the same flight, when she heard Tanaka saying in a loud voice that pushcarts should not be placed in front of the baggage carousel.
Codilla told him that the other passengers had their pushcarts in front of the carousel too.
“With my back turned to Tanaka, and without any provocation on my part, I suddenly felt a hard and painful punch to my lower back,” Codilla said in her affidavit.
Since the time of the incident, Garcia said she has already spent P200,000. And because she could not properly work for five days, she has lost at least P250,000 in income.
She said she is filing the case to “serve as an example to others.” (JECT of SuperBalita)
