Ai-Ai files raps vs store employee, guard who beat up her son

Comedienne Ai-Ai de las Alas filed criminal charges before National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday against an employee and security guard of a convenience store for allegedly detaining and verbally abusing her teenage son, suspected to have shoplifted from the establishment.

De las Alas, whose real name is Eileen de las Alas, was accompanied by her lawyer Rowena Guanzon when she filed criminal charges of grave threat, illegal detention and violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law against Melvin Buceta and a still unidentified security guard of the Mini Stop outlet on P. Noval street in Sampaloc, Manila.

De las Alas said her son became depressed right after the incident and she had to hire the services of a child psychiatrist to help him cope with the humiliation and the trauma.

Guanzon said they are also contemplating on filing a damage suit against the franchise owner of the store if it was true that it was a standard operating procedure for them to bring a teenager to the stockroom and threaten him. “This is wrong, inhuman and criminal,” she said.

In her two-page complaint-affidavit, De las Alas said that last Dec. 8, her son and a male friend, both in their school uniforms, waited for their two friends outside the Mini Stop store along P. Noval street. The victim then decided to enter the store to buy some snacks.  

It was at this juncture that Buceta allegedly grabbed De las Alas’ son by the collar and hit him in the lower back in full view of the people inside the store. The security guard stood nearby, probably to ensure that the victim would not be able to escape.

Buceta brought the victim to the stockroom, closed the door and reportedly verbally abused and threatened to beat up the teenager. The abuse went on for about 15 to 20 minutes.

“My son was very scared and (he) explained that he was not a thief. He said he had money and he had no intention to steal anything from the store and that he frequents that store because it is near his school,” De las Alas said.

The security guard then peeked inside the storage room and inquired what Buceta planned to do with the victim.  Buceta took the teenager outside the storage room and threatened to bring him to the barangay. Thinking he would be safer in the hands of barangay officials, the victim agreed. This prompted the two store employees to set him free.