Manila, Philippines -- Comedienne Ai-ai delas Alas’ teenage son on Friday maintained he never stole mint candies from a chain convenience store.

During the preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice (DoJ), Delas Alas and her 16-year-old son denied allegations of the staff of a Manila branch of Mini Stop that he stole two tubes of mint candy on December 8.

On January 8, Delas Alas filed criminal complaints with the National Bureau of Investigation against store staff Melvin Buceta and security guard Florentino Ermitano. Accused of shoplifting, the teenager was allegedly "manhandled, verbally abused and detained" by the two Mini Stop employees.

In an earlier affidavit, Delas Alas said her son, who was in school uniform, went inside the Mini Stop store on P. Nuval St., Manila to buy some snacks. His friend waited outside the store, which is near their school -- the University of Sto. Tomas.

While inside the store, Delas Alas said that Buceta grabbed her son by the collar and “threw him with force and boxed him with force on the lower back, in full view of the people inside the store.”

“The security guard stood nearby, obviously to make sure that my son could not fight back or escape,” she said.

Then the boy was brought to a stock room where he was called a thief and a liar, Delas Alas said, adding the employees even threatened to beat him up.

"If respondent suspected him of stealing or shoplifting, knowing that he was a UST student because he was in uniform, they should have treated him in such a way that he would not be publicly embarrassed," she said.

The boy said he simply went near the front door of the store to ask his friend what he wanted when he was suddenly grabbed by the Buceta.

The next preliminary investigation will be on March 27.