Metro Manila’s highest-ranking police official said that he would ask the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to deport Zhang Jiale, the 23-year-old Chinese national who threw a cup of “taho” (sweetened soya curd) at a policeman assigned at a Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 station.
Director Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, said in a statement on Sunday that what Zhang did to PO1 William Cristobal on Saturday was “offensive” and “an insult to our uniform, our organization and our worth as policemen.”
“We will recommend to the [BI] that she be… declared an undesirable alien, which will eventually be the basis [for] her deportation,” Eleazar added.
On the other hand, he commended Cristobal “for exemplifying the highest standard of discipline in handling the unusual occurrence.”
Suspect still in custody
Zhang remains in the custody of the Mandaluyong police, which charged her with direct assault, disobedience to an agent or person in authority and unjust vexation. She is expected to post bail today.
According to the BI, it was waiting for reports on the incident from the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and NCRPO to help it determine what actions to take against Zhang.
For its part, the DoTr said it would look into the possibility of banning Zhang from riding on the MRT 3.
Zhang, a student who has been in the country for five years, threw a tantrum after duty guards said she could not bring her cup of taho into the MRT 3 Boni Avenue station in Mandaluyong City.
Despite being told of the ban on food and drinks, she refused to comply, prompting Cristobal, who was assigned at the station, to explain the rules to her. Zhang, however, threw the cup of taho at him.
Cristobal had told reporters that he felt humiliated by Zhang, adding that she “should face the consequences of her actions.”
Netizens react
Photos of the incident circulated on social media, with netizens asking the government to punish the Chinese student for her rudeness.
But at the same time, they criticized the supposedly “special treatment” given to Zhang, who was visited by Eleazar at the police station.
One netizen commented: “If it was a Filipino who did the same thing, he would either be beaten to death by the cops, or worse, end up dead because the police would say she resisted while in detention.”