JEDDAH, 4 November 2003 — The former chairman of the board of trustees of the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ) has been assaulted anew by two unknown Filipino assailants near his home in Ghornatah Street on Sunday night.
At around 9:30 pm, Efren Rodriguez got a surprise blow in his face by one of the two unidentified assailants, resulting in cuts and wounds to his inner mouth and lips.
According to Rodriguez, after he came out of the building where he lives and upon approaching his car, two well-built Filipinos suddenly appeared from nowhere and approached him in a seemingly friendly manner. To his surprise, one of them suddenly uttered: “May atraso ka sa amin” (You owe us something), then punched him in the face and hurriedly fled with his accomplice.
Witnesses in the nearby store said the duo were in the store for about 30 minutes and were last seen browsing the newspapers displayed on a rack. They seemed to be waiting for somebody then suddenly they hit a guy on the street (Rodriguez) and disappeared, bringing with them the unpaid newspapers.
Rodriguez has been the victim of various violent attacks while acting as the school’s chairman of the board. Two years ago, a terminated IPSJ staff member armed with a chain, hit Rodriguez in the head so hard that it left him bleeding profusely.