Deniece yields, booked at Crame

MANILA, Philippines - Model Deniece Cornejo surrendered to the police yesterday and spent the night in detention at Camp Crame with no certainty that she will be allowed to post bail.

Cornejo surrendered to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima after several weeks in hiding.

Cornejo, wanted for serious illegal detention and grave coercion filed by actor-comedian Vhong Navarro, arrived at Purisima’s office at about 4:11 p.m.

Her grandparents, several relatives and lawyers accompanied her.

After the brief meeting with Purisima, Cornejo was brought by relatives and police officers to a waiting PNP bus outside the national police headquarters lobby to prevent media from interviewing her.

“The PNP chief welcomed her surrender and assured her of fair treatment while in police custody,” said Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac of the PNP Public Information Office.

“The meeting (between Purisima and Cornejo) lasted for about five minutes,” Sindac said.

He said Cornejo was later taken to the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for booking procedures, where police personnel took her mug shots and fingerprints. Her medical checkup was conducted at the PNP Crime Laboratory.

Since the warrant of arrest could not be immediately returned to the issuing court after office hours, CIDG chief Director Benjamin Magalong said Cornejo would spend the night at the detention cell of the Women and Children Protection Division.

“She was very silent, subdued. She preferred not to be interviewed,” Magalong said.

He said Chief Superintendent Tom Bañas, director of Human Rights Affairs Office, facilitated the surrender of Cornejo to Purisima.

Cornejo, businessman Cedric Lee and mixed martial artist Simeon “Zimmer Raz” Palma, Sajed “Jed Fernandez” Abuhijleh and Ferdinand Guerrero are facing charges for beating up and blackmailing Navarro in Cornejo’s condominium unit in Forbeswood Heights, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig last Jan. 22.

She claimed Navarro raped her but Lee’s group caught him and brought him to the police.

The Department of Justice junked Cornejo’s complaints and instead recommended the filing of charges against her and Lee’s group.

Lee and Palma were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation in Eastern Samar last week.

The Taguig City court reportedly set the hearing for their motion for bail today, although serious illegal detention is a non-bailable offense.

Bañas said Cornejo’s grandfather Rod Cornejo and his brother are his acquaintance, thus they worked on the surrender of the model.

“Rod Cornejo is a close friend. So we discussed Deniece’s surrender. I have been talking with Deniece since last week. I convinced her to turn herself in so she can face the charges. At least she will not hide anymore,” Bañas told The STAR.

However, Bañas said he did not ask Deniece where she hid while she was on the run.

He admitted that when he informed the PNP chief of the planned surrender of Deniece, Purisima thought it was a joke.