Cop stabbed outside Our Lady of Manaoag shrine in Pangasinan

An off-duty policeman was stabbed and wounded in a knife attack in an eatery outside the walls of the Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine in Pangasinan, on August 26, 2017. WILLIE LOMIBAO / INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

DAGUPAN CITY — An off-duty policeman survived a knife attack on Saturday night by a drunk in Manaoag town in Pangasinan province.

PO1 Michael Dick Aquino, 25, of neighboring San Jacinto town, was with his friends in an eatery near the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag when he was stabbed at about 11:30 p.m.

Chief Inspector Dave Mahilum, Manaoag police chief, said Aquino’s companions had a shouting match with a group of drunken men occupying another table in the eatery.

The heated exchange triggered a brawl during which Benjo Pastorin, 36, allegedly drew a knife and stabbed Aquino in the stomach.

Aquino was rushed to a hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.

Aquino is assigned to the Regional Police Public Safety Battalion of the Ilocos regional police office. CBB