Lapid son charged with frustrated murder

ANGELES CITY, Philippines – The youngest son of Sen. Lito Lapid is facing frustrated murder charges before the office of the prosecutor here on allegations that he had ordered 10 of his peers and bodyguards, allegedly armed with brass knuckles, to beat up the complainants at a night club here sometime last year.

Complainant Angelito Pineda of Nepo Subdivision here attached to his complaint a medical certificate issued by Ospital Ning Angeles Dr. Irene Flores, indicating lacerations he allegedly sustained during the incident.

The senator’s youngest child, Maynard Lapid, 27, was named as respondent in the complaint, along with his companions, including a woman identified as Diane Martinez.

Lapid and his companions, in a counter-affidavit, reversed Pineda’s claim and insisted that he was the victim of the incident, although he has no medical certificate to back up his claim.

He and Martinez alleged that Pineda’s complaint was designed merely to extort from them. The prosecutor gave Pineda up to March 16 to answer Lapid’s claim.

While the incident happened on July 22 last year, the case was dockected only last Dec. 17 before the prosecutor’s office.

In an interview with The STAR, Sen. Lapid’s chief of staff Bernie Cruz said he knew about the incident, but insisted Maynard was the victim. “I even dissuaded him not to file a case just so as there would no longer be any problem for their dad,” he said.

Pineda said the incident happened at about 2 a.m. of July 22 while he and his friend Cristopher Marcelo were on their way to their car parked in front of The Courtyard nightclub in Barangay Balibago.

Martinez, whom they claimed they did not know then, approached them and accused them of sexual harassment.

Pineda said Martinez was followed by one of her male companions who also confronted and shouted at them. He and Marcelo later identified the companion as Maynard Lapid.

The complainant said that while Maynard was confronting them, about 10 of Maynard’s companions arrived and started mauling him and Marcelo and that some of their attackers used brass knuckles.

The beating ceased only when a “bantay-bayan” volunteer intervened, the complaint said.

Marcelo also issued an affidavit to back up the complaint of Pineda, identifying Maynard as the one who gave orders that they be beaten up. He said he and Pineda could have died had not the “bantay-bayan” volunteer intervened.