Querubin, wife face charges for attacking detained soldier

Detained military Col. Ariel Querubin and his wife Maria Flor are facing charges for allegedly manhandling a fellow detained officer inside the Armed Forces headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo. The Querubin couple allegedly ganged up on Maj. Jason Aquino at about 1 p.m. Saturday at the camp’s detention center, Aquino’s lawyer Trixie Angeles said Sunday. “Lumabas si Colonel Querubin at bigla siyang [Aquino] in-attempt suntukin, ended up pushing him against the wall. Ang wall ng detention magaspang, so duguan si Maj. Aquino sa lakas ng hataw sa kanya," Angeles said in an interview on dzBB radio. (Querubin came out of his cell and tried to punch Aquino, but ended up pushing him against the wall instead. The roughness of the wall bloodied Aquino.) Querubin, a senatorial aspirant in next year’s elections, admitted shoving Aquino, but said he did it because Aquino was verbally abusing his wife. He said his wife confronted Aquino for allegedly spreading misinformation against him. “I have to defend my wife when I saw him shouting at her. He was shouting at her in front of me so I have to defend my wife," Querubin said in a statement. Angeles said the incident occurred after she and former solicitor general Francisco Chavez visited Aquino. Chavez is also a counsel of Aquino in the mutiny case slapped on him for his alleged participation in the Feb. 2006 attempt to overthrow the Arroyo administration. Querubin is also charged with the same case. Angeles also said that Mrs. Querubin took part in hurting Aquino by hitting him on the nose bridge. She said Aquino underwent an X-ray at the Quirino Labor Hospital but the results showed no fracture. Angeles said she escorted Aquino to the Quezon City Police Station 10 to lodge a complaint of slight physical injuries against the Querubin couple. Mrs. Querubin, meanwhile, said she is planning to file complaints of grave slander and physical injuries, including grave threats, against Aquino. - Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV