Walong taon na ang nakalipas, pero tuloy ang paninindigan ni Vhong Navarro na walang katotohanang hinalay niya si Deniece Cornejo.
Nitong July 2022, inutos ng Court of Appeals sa Office of Prosecutor sa Taguig City na sampahan ng kasong rape at acts of lasciviousness si Vhong.
Ongoing naman ang pagdinig sa serious illegal detention case na kinahaharap ng grupo ni Deniece Cornejo na kinabibilangan ng kapwa akusado na si Cedric Lee.
Ngayong August 22, 2022, idiniin ng kampo ni Vhong na makailang-beses nang ibinasura ang reklamong rape ni Deniece hindi lang dahil sa "inconsistencies" sa mga pahayag ng dalaga, kundi base na rin sa CCTV footage na isinumiteng ebidensiya ng aktor.
Nakapanayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) ang abugado ni Vhong, si Atty. Alma Mallonga, sa pamamagitan ng pagtawag sa telepono at nagbigay rin siya ng written official statement hinggil sa eight-year legal battle na ito.
Una ay binalikan ng abugada ni Vhong ang "paulit-ulit na pagbasura" ng Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig, Office of the Prosecutor General, at Office of the Secretary of the Department of Justice sa alegasyon ni Deniece na na-rape ito.
Nakamamangha raw dahil sa dalawang sworn statements ni Deniece ay wala itong nabanggit na hinalay ito ni Vhong noong January 17, 2014. Iyon ang unang pagkikita ng dalawa sa condo unit ni Deniece sa Bonifacio Global City (BGC) sa Taguig.
Diin ni Atty. Mallonga ukol sa salaysay noon ni Deniece (published as is): "The events, contained in 8 paragraphs of the complaint, ended with Mr. Navarro leaving the condo unit at her request.
"She states: 'He tried to insist that I let him stay longer (in the condo) and even made jokes about sleeping over… I told him, 'No, di puwede talaga,' so finally he conceded… Thereafter, Kuya Vhong left my unit by himself.'
"Again, in a Petition dated February 4, 2014 filed with the court, Ms. Cornejo maintained that she was not raped on January 17, took pains to recount what happened that day which ended with her asking Mr. Navarro to leave, and he did, i.e. 'Kuya Vhong left my unit by himself.'
"Both her Complaint-Affidavit and Petition were under oath and executed with assistance of counsel."
Ang ikalawang beses na nagkita sina Vhong at Deniece sa condo unit ng dalaga ay noong gabi ng January 22, 2014.
Magkaiba ang bersiyon nina Vhong at Deniece sa nangyari noong January 22.
Ang akusasyon ni Deniece, hinalay siya ni Vhong.
Ang kontra-akusasyon ni Vhong, siya ay na-setup ng grupo ni Deniece matapos siyang ginapos, piniringan, at binugbog ng anim na kalalakihan.
BELATED CLAIM RIDDLED WITH "INCONSISTENCIES"
Ayon naman kay Atty. Mallonga, nang idemanda ni Vhong ang grupo ni Deniece ng illegal detention ay saka naglabas si Deniece ng bagong salaysay sa bersiyon nito ng pangyayari noong January 17, 2014.
Sabi ng abugada (itals provided): "MS. CORNEJO CHANGED HER STORY ONLY AFTER MR. VHONG NAVARRO FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST HER AND MR. CEDRIC LEE FOR SERIOUS ILLEGAL DETENTION AND OTHER CRIMES AND SHE WAS REQUIRED TO SUBMIT HER COUNTER-AFFIDAVIT.
"BY WAY OF DEFENSE, SHE THEN BEGAN TO CLAIM THAT SHE WAS RAPED NOT ONLY ON JANUARY 22, BUT ALSO ON JANUARY 17.
"Ms. Cornejo’s claims of being raped on January 17 have been dismissed MULTIPLE TIMES - by the Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and by the Secretary of the Department of Justice.
"Clearly, the dismissal of the rape complaint by the Taguig OCP, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Justice was correct.
"Other than the sworn denial of Ms. Cornejo that rape had happened, and a belated claim riddled with material inconsistencies of how such a rape supposedly occurred, the rape allegation – as held by the Secretary of Justice – is contrary to human behavior.
"Why would Ms. Cornejo, claiming she was raped on January 17, 2014, meet up with Mr. Navarro a few days later on January 22?"
Related stories:
- Vhong Navarro story matches CCTV footage, says NBI
- Vhong Navarro, Deniece Cornejo legal tussle: A Timeline
- Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo found guilty in Vhong Navarro grave coercion case
- CA orders Taguig Prosecutors to file rape, acts of lasciviousness charges vs Vhong Navarro
CCTV FOOTAGE at bgc condo
Idiniin din ni Atty. Mallonga na malinaw sa isinumiteng CCTV footage, mula sa BGC condo kung saan nakatira si Deniece, na hindi umano ito kinakitaan ng bakas ng panghahalay.
Aniya, "As to her claim of being raped on January 22, CCTV Footages taken on January 22 show no rape could have occurred as Ms. Cornejo is shown smiling inside an elevator less than a minute after she was supposedly raped.
Noong 2014, naiulat ang pahayag ng National Bureau of Investigation na tugma sa nakuhang CCTV ang salaysay ni Vhong ng pangyayari noong January 22, 2014.
Nakunan ang pagdating ni Vhong sa lobby ng BGC condo at pag-akyat niya sa condo unit ng dalaga sa second floor.
Base sa time stamp ay isang minuto lamang ang lumipas nang si Deniece ay sumakay ng elevator mula sa kanyang unit pababa ng lobby.
May kuha naman si Cedric na dumating sa lobby ng BGC condo; at may hiwalay ring kuha si Deniece kasama ang kapatid ni Cedric na sakay ng elevator paakyat ng kanyang condo unit.
Base pa rin sa ulat ng NBI noong 2014, makalipas ang mahigit tatlumpung minuto ay nakunan si Cedric at grupo ng mga kalalakihan kasama si Vhong na tila nakagapos ang kamay. Kasama rin sa grupo si Deniece.
ONGOING SERIOUS ILLEGAL DETENTION VS DENIECE AND CEDRIC
Sa pagpapatuloy ng opisyal na pahayag ni Atty. Mallonga, sinabi niyang umakyat sa korte ang serious illegal detention case laban sa grupo nina Cedric at Deniece na hanggang ngayon ay nililitis.
Aniya (published as is and itals provided) "AS OF TODAY, THE COMPLAINT FOR SERIOUS ILLEGAL DETENTION HAS NOT BEEN DISMISSED AND IS STILL PENDING TRIAL BEFORE A REGIONAL TRIAL COURT.
"FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, THE PROSECUTION TEAM WORKING FOR THE CONVICTION OF MS. CORNEJO AND MR. LEE HAS BEEN HEADED BY A THREE-MEMBER PANEL OF PROSECUTORS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
"CORNEJO AND MR. LEE HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED FOR GRAVE COERCION IN RELATION TO THE JANUARY 2014 INCIDENT."
July 2018 nang mahatulang guilty sina Cedric at Deniece sa kasong grave coercion.
May kinalaman iyon sa pamimilit ng grupo nina Cedric kay Vhong na pirmahan ang police blotter kung saan nakasaad ang akusasyong attempted rape ng aktor kay Deniece.
Nakasaad din sa parehong police blotter ang sinasabi ng grupo nina Cedric na "citizen arrest" ang ginawa nila kay Vhong matapos diumanong mahuli ito sa aktong sekswal na inaabuso si Deniece sa loob ng condo unit ng dalaga.
ATTY. MALLONGA: NOT RAPE BUT A "SET-UP"
Sa huli, nanindigan ang abugada ni Vhong na hindi pa tapos ang laban.
Naghain ang kampo ni Vhong ng motion for reconsideration sa Court of Appeals kaugnay ng utos nito sa Office of the Prosecutor sa Taguig City na masampahan ng kasong rape ang aktor.
Pahayag ni Atty. Mallonga (published as is and all caps provided):
"If the charges are filed, the Department of Justice will be placed in the absurd situation of having to prosecute Ms. Cornejo and Mr. Lee because Mr. Vhong Navarro had committed no rape and was illegally detained and coerced into admitting to committing that crime, and then suddenly having to charge Mr. Navarro because there is a possibility he committed these crimes according to the Court of Appeals in its decision which is not yet final.
"THE DISMISSAL OF THE RAPE COMPLAINT SHOULD BE DEFENDED AND MAINTAINED.
"THE EFFORTS OF MS. CORNEJO TO HAVE THE CHARGES IMMEDIATELY FILED SHOULD BE RESISTED.
"THESE EFFORTS ARE IN DEFIANCE OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE COURT OF APPEALS TO RULE ON THE MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION FILED BY MR. NAVARRO TO REVERSE ITS EARLIER DECISION.
"IN FACT, MS. CORNEJO HAS BEEN ORDERED BY THE COURT OF APPEALS TO FILE HER COMMENT TO THE MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION BEFORE IT, AS WELL AS TO COMMENT ON REPORTS THAT SHE IS ALREADY SEEKING TO HAVE CHARGES FILED AGAINST MR. NAVARRO."
ORDER OF THE COURT OF APPEALS
Sa kabilang banda, nakasaad sa resolution ng Court of Appeals ang bahagi ng salaysay ni Deniece ukol sa sinasabi ng dalaga na insidente ng panghahalay sa kanya ni Vhong noong January 17, 2022.
Taliwas ito sa naiulat noong sinumpaang salaysay ni Vhong na bagamat may nangyaring sexual act sa kanila ni Deniece, hindi raw iyon sapilitan kundi may consent ng dalaga.
Patunay raw nito ang palitan nila ng mensahe pagkaalis ni Vhong sa condo unit ng modelo, at ang imbitasyon ng dalaga na mag-dinner ang aktor sa condo unit nito.
At nabasura nga noon ng DOJ ang reklamong rape ni Deniece.
Sabi naman sa bahagi ng pahayag ng Court of Appeals: "Ultimately, it falls upon the trial court to determine who between Navarro and Cornejo speaks the truth.
"Cornejo decries attempted rape on the night of January 22, 2014 while Navarro denies any wrongdoing on his part.
"We reiterate once more that the preliminary investigation is not the proper venue to rule on the respondent's guilt or innocence."
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