By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

A DAGUPAN City policeman and at least two barangay security officers were injured in a homemade bomb blast early Saturday morning right at the police main headquarters at Perez Marketsite while the police desk was investigating a troublemaker arrested hours earlier in barangay Calmay, this city.

The blast, believed to have been from a pillbox, tore at least three middle fingers of the arresting officer, PO3 Alfonso Villamil and wounded him in other parts of the body. An unidentified barangay tanod who helped bring in the suspect, Albert Alvarez, for investigation and custody was also slightly injured as he stood nearby.

City Police Chief Dionicio Borromeo said, according to his policemen’s story, Alvarez was arrested for making trouble in the island village of Calmay by barangay security officers who then turned him over to Villamil who was the police supervisor of the police community precinct there.

Found in Alvarez’s possession at the time of his arrest in Calmay was a knife which he was brandishing to threaten his
barangaymates while reportedly drunk.

He was reportedly brought to the Regional Medical Center upon arrest for medical certification on his condition then brought back to the city PNP headquarters for temporary custody.

Borromeo said it was while Villamil was frisking the suspect’s pants pocket before locking Alvarez up in the jail cell that the police officer noticed Alvarez resisting a search of his right back pants pocket. Thinking Alvarez was hiding some drugs, Villamil forcibly reached inside the suspect’s pocket to take out the item.

In the next instant, the pillbox — supposedly just “the size of a pingpong ball”, according to Borromeo – exploded, the impact and shards injuring the hand and bodies of the police officer, the suspect and a barangay officer.

Borromeo described the small home-made bomb as a handy weapon used by rival neighborhood gangs in their street rumbles.
Villamil and the others were treated at the hospital for their injuries.

Charges of possession of explosives, serious physical injuries and possession of deadly weapon were set to be filed against Alvarez at presstime