PNP urged to revoke gun-toting pa's permit

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) has been asked to revoke the gun permit of the man accused of poking a gun at an 18-year-old high school senior at the Colegio de San Agustin (CSA) in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City.

Ernesto Maceda Jr., one of the lawyers of Jaime Garcia, said they have written the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Division asking for the revocation of the gun permits and licenses issued to suspect Allan Canete Bantiles.

Reports had it that Bantiles, who is into construction business and a resident of 44 Stockholm street, Villareal Classica Village in Quezon City, owns at least two firearms -- a 9mm Glock pistol and a caliber .45 pistol.

In his complaint affidavit, Garcia accused Bantiles of slapping him and pointing a caliber .45 pistol at him during a confrontation at the CSA faculty office last Aug. 30.

Garcia on Tuesday filed charges of attempted murder, slander and slander by deed against Bantiles before the Makati City prosecutor’s office.

“Any responsible gun owner knows that you do not point a pistol at anything or anybody you do not want to destroy or kill,” Maceda said.

Maceda explained that the complaint against Bantiles was elevated from grave threat to attempted murder as the suspect had “sufficient time” to get the gun from the bag carried by his bodyguard and then point it at Garcia.

“The boy (Garcia) was seated at the school’s faculty office and was already apologizing to him (Bantiles) when he poked the gun at him,” he added.

Younger Bantiles surfaces

Meanwhile, the younger Bantiles has surfaced and denied that his father threatened Garcia with a gun.

In an exclusive interview with TV5 aired Tuesday night on Pilipinas News, the 16-year-old student admitted that his father confronted Garcia and scolded him. 

He disputed Garcia’s claim that his father threatened him with a gun, stressing the latter was just told not to punch him again.

The identity of Bantiles’ son is being withheld because he is a minor.

Wearing a black hat, the younger Bantiles appeared on television with the family’s lawyer Richard Nethercott.

He claimed he was forced to fight back when Garcia allegedly attacked a classmate with a ballpen. 

“It was just an instant reaction over what I saw because that is not a normal thing to do, stabbing someone. I was shocked that I got punched,” he said.

Garcia, however, told TV5 in a separate interview that his classmates bullied him by touching his buttocks.

Raps vs CSA eyed

Meanwhile, Maceda said they are looking at possible charges to be filed against the CSA administration.

Maceda explained that what happened to Garcia was a clear case of bullying as he was repeatedly bullied by Bantiles’ son prior to the confrontation.

Garcia admitted that he punched Bantiles’ son after he was bullied by him and another classmate.

Maceda, however, said that since there is no law in the Philippines penalizing bullying, they are checking if the CSA administration had complied with a directive from the Department of Education (DepEd) calling for the creation of anti-bullying committees in schools.

He said they want to find out if the CSA formed its anti-bullying committee only after Bantiles had confronted Garcia. – With James Beltran, DJ Sta. Ana/TV5