German says lawyer threatened him

CEBU, Philippines - A criminal complaint was filed before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office against a deputy register of deeds of the Office of the Registry of Deeds Cebu City for allegedly threatening a German and his daughter.

Wolfgang Rudi Greif, a resident of Catarman, Liloan town, Cebu, filed grave threats and a violation of Code of Ethical Conduct of Government Officials and Employees against lawyer Benedicto Taylan.

Greif said in his affidavit that Taylan pointed a gun at him and his daughter and threatened them last Dec. 22, 2012 past 9 a.m.

Greif said while he was in his yard together with his six-year-old daughter watching Luth Damayo and Dennis Derecho painting and welding their fence, the respondent arrived.

“Taylan, who lived near the vicinity of our house, arrived together with some companions, and without any provocation on my part readily brandished and pointed a handgun of unknown caliber towards my direction and uttered threatening words ‘I’ll shoot you! I’ll shoot you! And shatter your glass doors’,” he narrated.

He said he called the police but when they arrived, the respondent was no longer in the area.

He reported the incident to the Liloan Police Station and the office of the barangay captain but the respondent failed to appear during their supposed meeting.

Greif asked for P500,000 for moral damages and P100,000 for exemplary damages against the respondent.

The complaint was first filed before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas. However, Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol forwarded the complaint before the Office of the Prosecutor for the appropriate action.

Apostol said it was the Prosecutor’s Office that has competence and has jurisdiction in resolving the complaint.  (FREEMAN)