The couple Eliseo and Carmencita Labatorio of Nova Tierra Village, this city, were enjoying their lunch at Basti’s Brew Coffeeshop with their three sons aged 18, 16 and six when a short, roly-poly man suddenly strode over to their table and created a scene.
The man, a Caucasian, pointed a pudgy finger close to Eliseo’s face and blurted out in anger, “I want you to tell your boy to keep his eyes to your table,”–or words to that effect.
Taken aback, Carmencita protested, saying, “Sir, my son is a special child,” referring to Gerry, their eldest, who was the target of the Caucasian’s outburst.
“Do I need to know that?” the Caucasian retorted, adding, “I don’t want to hear anything further from you!”
Mrs. Labatorio, angrily shot back that foreigners like him should not behave shabbily towards Filipinos in their own country.
When policemen from 911 Central who had been summoned came, the foreigner and his wife had left Basti’s with his year-old son, and wife was later identified as Leslie Jane D. Jenkins.
Earlier, the same man had accosted Basti’s security guard, Gilbert Porras, admonishing to stop looking at him.
Porras said he was surprised why the man got angry with him as he, the “sekyu”, was merely watching the man’s kid.
The incident marred Basti’s Triple 10 celebration as October 10, 2010 (a Sunday) was the establishment’s 11th anniversary.
Unfortunately for the pot-bellied attacker his antics were caught by CCTV camera.
