Adding insult to injury

If you’re wondering why foreigners consider Filipinos doormats in our own country, blame it on our officials.

It’s been a month since former Trade Undersecretary Maria Teresa Cruz-Evangelista has filed a complaint against Muhammad Ali Nasser al Shehri, a Saudi Arabian Embassy employee who allegedly tried to harm her, but the Bureau of Immigration has yet to act on the case.

Evangelista wrote a letter to Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David about Nasser’s arrogant and disrespectful attitude towards her, but has not received any reply.

Nasser continues to ignore a summons from the Makati Prosecutor’s Office where Evangelista filed a case of grave threats against the foreigner.

The complaint stemmed from an incident at a parking lot of a Makati condominium where Evangelista and Nasser are both residents.

Evangelista said she mistakenly parked her car on Nasser’s slot.

The condominium guards called her attention after Nasser loudly complained.

Approaching Nasser as she profusely apologized for the inconvenience she had caused him, Evangelista was met with rage.

Nasser was not able to harm Evangelista only because the guards restrained him.

The embassy employee, according to the former government official, threatened to slash her tires.

Such arrogance and disrespect by a foreigner towards a woman in her own country should not be tolerated.

But the immigration bureau belittles the incident by its inaction on Evangelista’s complaint.

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Many years ago, two drunken Saudi diplomats were beaten black and blue by Makati Mayor Nemesio Yabut and his bodyguards for molesting his woman companion.

The beating created an international repercussion with the Saudis threatening to cut off its oil supply to the country.

Although the Philippines apologized to the Saudi government for the incident, we were able to show foreigners to respect us.

But that was then.

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Metro Stonerich Corp., the contractor of Wil Tower on Eugenio Lopez Drive in Quezon City, has offered the Pineda family a measly P100,000 after a 100-kilogram cement slab fell on their roof from the 30th floor of the building under construction.

Peyo Pineda and his wife, Susie, said the offer was “adding insult to injury.”

“We’re not after the money. We want Metro Stonerich closed. We want (Quezon) City Hall to do that,” said Pineda.

Peyo Pineda, whose business is selling luxury vintage cars, said that before the 100-kg slab fell on their roof Sunday, their roof had been the dumping ground of debris and even human feces for two years now.

On October 16, this column came out with Peyo’s complaint about debris and human waste landing on his roof from Wil Tower.

That was more than two weeks before the incident on November 4 when the 100-kg slab fell directly on the room of Peyo and Susie’s son, Gino, missing him by a few minutes.

Gino had gone out of his room to get something from the living room when the dumping happened.

Metro Stonerich had ignored the incident even after this column came out with Pineda’s complaint on October 16.

The company, which has built big malls in Metro Manila, is owned by Ibrahim Nuno, whose mother, Zamboanga City Councilor Lilia Nuno is seeking a seat in Congress.