Get girl’s attacker at all cost — Tiangco

Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco ordered the local police yesterday to conduct a massive hunt for the suspect in the near fatal attack on a five-year-old girl last Thursday.

Tiangco told police to arrest the suspect "at all cost" at the soonest possible time. The suspect is believed to be a drug addict.

"I am appealing to all Navoteños to please be vigilant at all times and let’s do our share in fighting evil acts. It’s everybody’s duty, but definitely the police must enforce the law. This is a strong warning to the suspect, we will apply the full force of the law against you," Tiangco said.

As this developed, Caloocan City Rep. Luis Asistio yesterday contributed P20,000 to the victim’s family to help finance her hospitalization.

Cenon Mayor and Nerissa Abrigo, representing the mayor, handed over the money to Rosalinda Dizon, 33, the girl’s mother at the Tondo Medical Center.

"Congressman Asistio has a soft heart for children. Though the girl is not from Caloocan, he immediately offered help upon knowing her condition," Mayor said.

The victim, a resident of Barangay Navotas West, is in stable condition.

At around 12:30 a.m. last Thursday, the victim was found bloodied at a dimly lit portion of Santillan street in Barangay San Jose.

She and her mother were attending a relative’s birthday party at a house on the same street when the incident occurred, police said.

A witness claimed that he saw a man, about 5’7’’ in height, and around 20 to 25 years old, walking with the girl a few minutes before the victim was found with at least 61 slash and stab wounds.

At around 9 p.m., the same witness again saw the man near the crime scene and even at the vicinity of the Tondo Medical Center.

Police, however, failed to arrest the suspect.

Meanwhile, Tiangco commended the police force for arresting yesterday two of four suspects who robbed a pastor and his family along C-3 Road last Sunday.

"The police are on a roll solving crimes as quick as they can, even on a shoestring budget. They get the job done," the mayor said.

The suspects were collared in Kaunlaran Village, Navotas after robbing pastor Allan Lee, whose car was stalled on C-3 Road. – With Jerry Botial