Grenade aimed at Manila police precinct wounds 3

MANILA, Philippines—Three men, including a village watchman, were wounded in a grenade attack in front of a police precinct in Tondo, Manila, early Thursday.

The blast, believed to be in retaliation for a recent police operation that killed a murder suspect in Tondo, rocked the Smokey Mountain Police Community Precinct (PCP) and damaged a police patrol car on Radial Road 10, Vitas, around 2:20 a.m.

Wounded were Serdan Damca, a barangay tanod from Longos, Malabon City; scavenger Rene Gallaron and pedicab driver Ferdie dela Cruz. The victims were treated for cuts and abrasions at Tondo Medical Center.

Damca was then in Tondo with some Malabon policemen to seek the Manila PCP’s help concerning another case. The explosion shattered the glass window of the car they used.

Investigators believe the grenade was lobbed at the precinct by someone out to avenge the death of Ramilo Nicolas, one of the two suspects in the killing of Fedy Genovista, 27, a scavenger who was shot inside a junk shop at one of the buildings of an urban poor housing area.

On Wednesday, Smokey Mountain PCP commander Insp. Edward Samonte led a team that hunted down Nicolas and the other suspect, John Mark Mendoza, cornering them at Building 30 of the Aroma Temporary Housing.

SPO1 Jonathan Bautista of the Manila Police District’s homicide section said Nicolas drew a .45-cal. pistol and fired at Samonte. The suspect missed and the PCP chief had “no choice’’ but to defend himself, Bautista said.

Samonte fired back using his M-16 rifle and hit the armed suspect twice in the body. Nicolas died on the spot while Mendoza was able to escape.—Maricar B. Brizuela