Student in poisoning case pleads ‘not guilty’

A former student of the Philippine Science High School (PSHC) pleaded "not guilty" to frustrated murder charges filed against him for allegedly lacing a water jug with mercury nitrate, almost killing a schoolmate eight months ago.

Another accused, also a former student of PSHC, asked Quezon City Judge Lourdes Giron to defer his arraignment pending the outcome of the motion for reconsideration he filed before the City Prosecutor’s Office, opposing a decision to indict them.

The accused are both 17 years old.

Private prosecutor Eugenio Villareal opposed the second accused’s request, saying there was not enough basis to postpone his arraignment under the law.

Instead of granting the second accused’s request, Giron gave the prosecution panel five days to comment on the request.

Quezon City Assistant Prosecutor Ferdinand Baylon recommended the filing of frustrated murder charges against two boys, who were both 16 at the time they allegedly laced a water jug intended for another student last Feb. 14.

"The boys acted together and cooperated with one another and shared the same intention of poisoning another student by deliberately and intentionally with discernment putting a poisonous substance into her jug, which injured a different person," he said.

Baylon said the fact that the respondents are both minors and scholars of PSHS do not make them criminally exempt from results of their criminal act. "On the contrary, being bright students with above average intellect, it cannot be argued that they did not know that mercury nitrate is deadly."