The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday confirmed the reported incident involving a 71-year-old Filipino-American who was robbed and beaten outside a restaurant in Vallejo, California, USA.
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco did not disclose the name of the victim. However, local news reports identified the victim as Enelia Perez.
Reports stated that Perez and her husband, along with two of their friends, were headed back home to Rio Vista after spending the day in San Francisco when they stopped for dinner at the Filipino restaurant Jollibee in Vallejo.
Her stepson Dennis Perez narrated that Enelia was walking ahead of the group in the parking lot as they were leaving the restaurant when someone suddenly pulled at her purse and hit her with a hard object in the back of her head.
She was brought to a hospital and is being treated for head trauma.
The DFA said that Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer has assured the victim’s family that assistance will be provided as appropriate.
The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco urged all Filipino victims of such crimes to report them to local law enforcement authorities accordingly.