MANILA, Philippines - A man who allegedly pointed a pistol at the head of his son’s schoolmate at the Colegio San Agustin (CSA) last August will be arraigned before the Makati City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 65 on June 17.
Lawyer Dominic Balane – who represents victim, 18-year-old Jesus Manuel Garcia – told The STAR that the city prosecutor’s office reduced the complaints of attempted murder, slander and slander by deed against Allan Bantiles to grave threats.
Bantiles, a construction contractor and a resident of Vista Real Classica Village in Quezon City, earlier had his licenses for a Glock 9mm pistol and a .45 caliber pistol revoked by the Philippine National Police in the wake of the alleged gun-poking incident on Aug. 30, 2012 at the CSA faculty room.
Garcia had accused Bantiles of slapping him in the face and pointing a .45 caliber pistol at his head.
Last October, Garcia’s lawyers asked the city prosecutor’s office to dismiss Bantiles’ motion to have the complaints of attempted murder, slander and slander by deed filed against him dismissed, saying they are just part of a “dilatory maneuver.â€
Bantiles, in turn, asked the city prosecutor’s office to dismiss the complaint filed against him because Garcia allegedly committed perjury by claiming in his affidavit that he flicked a classmate’s shoulder with a ballpen but admitted in several media interviews that he stabbed one classmate and punched Bantiles’ son.
Bantiles said this the reason why the classmate Garcia reportedly stabbed filed a complaint of child abuse against Garcia with the city prosecutor’s office.
He said the case against him should be dismissed or at least suspended until after the child abuse case against Garcia is resolved.
Garcia’s lawyers said the issue was a matter of semantics and not a denial of the incident between the student and his classmates, which was their clients’ reaction to his classmates’ “sustained acts of harassment.â€
Balane said that even as Bantiles will be arraigned for the complaint of grave threat, they have filed motion for reconsideration for the three dismissed complaints.