Palace cop sues Marine captain for mauling him

Now its the Malacañang security officers.

The squabbling in Malacañang between President Estrada's cabinet officials and advisers has apparently rubbed off on Palace security personnel after a Malacañang policeman filed charges against a Marine captain when the latter mauled him for refusing to perform 4,000 repetitions of the jumping jack exercise.

Police Officer 1 Eduardo Celeste, 30 of the Philippine National Police's Presidential Protection Unit (PNP-PPU) under the Presidential Special Protection Office (PSPO) accused Captain Jesulito Calimag of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) of punching him repeatedly last Sunday "until he (Calimag) got tired."

"The Marine official has no right to do that. We are career policeman they are different from us," said a Western Police District (WPD) General Assignment Section (GAS) member sympathizing with his Malacañang colleague. "It was bound to happen, whenever you mix two different groups in one place there is likely to be some friction."

Marines and lawmen are currently jointly patrolling the streets of Metro Manila.

Direct assault and physical injury charges were filed yesterday by Celeste with the WPD-GAS. Based on his affidavit, Calimag approached him and his fellow duty guard Police Officer 2 Ronald Calinap, at around 5:45 a.m at Malacañang's gate four and confronted them.

Being the duty officer and superior rank, Calimag was saluted by the two policemen but the Marines captain instead ordered Celeste to perform 4,000 jumping jack exercises.

Celeste, however, reportedly reasoned that he had committed no wrong and that he had just gotten over an illness and that doing the exercise may stress him.

It was at this point that Calimag reportedly began boxing the lowly police officer who refused to fight back. A total of 10 "strong punches" were reportedly delivered by Calimag on Celeste.

"Perhaps he (Calimag) thought that Celeste was asleep when he spotted him leaning back on his parked car while sitting on a chair, but we saw him coming and we gave him the proper salute," said Celeste's buddy, Calinap, now acting as the witness to the complaint.

Celeste presented a medical certificate from the Ospital ng Maynila to police investigator on case Senior Police Officer 1 Mario Salonga to prove the contusions and abrasions he suffered in the mauling.

Salonga has sent a letter to Calimag requesting him to appear before the WPD-GAS at 10 a.m. today for a confrontation with his accusers and for him to present his side.