THE chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation of Dagupan and two other fellow village youth chairmen were indicted separately for slight physical injuries in relation to Republic Act 7610 (Child Abuse Law).

In an amended resolution issued by the City Prosecutors Office on June 29, a copy of which was made available only last week, Deputy City Prosecutor Rosita Castro, OIC city prosecutor, ordered that corresponding charges be filed against the three.

The three are SK Federation chair John Chester Gonzales; Jamez Calderon, SK chairman of Pantal; and Billy Tuliao, SK chairman of Caranglaan “who conspired together in inflicting injuries to the complainants, namely Christian Carl Santiago, Ziv Francisco and Maggrik Rowel Vontitipong, all minors from San Jacinto, Pangasinan.”

The incident happened at around 11:00 p.m. of March 16 at the Music Warehouse on Perez Boulevard where the three complainants were watching a live band while Gonzales and his group were having a drinking spree.

Santiago and Francisco alleged that when they went to the comfort room, the group of Gonzales followed them, and while there, one accosted Santiago asking where they were from, to which he answered San Jacinto.

Gonzales’ group later attacked Santiago when they chanced on him alone in the comfort room.

Then, when Francisco and Vontitipong went to order pizza, Gonzales hit Francisco with a bottle at the back of his head while Jeff, another companion of Gonzales, punched Vontitipong.

And when the complainants were about to leave the premises, the group of Gonzales followed them and attacked the complainants again.

During a confrontation at the Dagupan Police Station a few days later, Pedro Gonzales, barangay chairman of Binloc and the grandfather of John Chester, presented Calderon, and Tuliao.

He said his grandson could not appear because he had an examination.

REMOVAL

The complainants submitted their joint supplemental complaint on April 17, 2012 that included Calderon and Tuliao in their complaint and asked that their complaint be endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman in support of the filing of administrative charges against seeking their removal from public office.

They also asked that the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dagupan be furnished with the criminal complaint for whatever sanction the SP may impose upon them.

In their joint counter-affidavit, Gonzales, Calderon and Tuliao declared that the accusations against them were false, malicious, fabricated and concocted, claiming that only an argument ensued between them in the dance floor but the security guard on duty intervened and escorted them out of the disco house and left the place to avoid further trouble.

Prosecutor Castro, in finding probable cause against the respondent SK chairmen, cited the case of People vs. Pabalan, 262 SCRA 5741 that states “Denial of an accused cannot be given greater evidentiary weight than the positive declaration of credible witnesses who testify on affirmative matters.”

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