Third rape complaint filed vs Vhong

MANILA, Philippines - A woman who worked as a double in a television series that starred actor-comedian Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro filed a rape complaint against the actor before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office on Wednesday.

This is the third rape charge against Navarro. Model Deniece Cornejo and beauty pageant contestant Roxanne Cabanero filed similar charges against Navarro earlier this year.

In a four-page complaint-affidavit obtained by the media yesterday, the complainant said Navarro raped her in his sport utility vehicle in early 2009, during the last few weeks of the taping for the television series.

The complainant said the actor’s driver asked her to go inside the SUV because Navarro wanted to talk to her during a break in their taping.

“I did not think anything of it and I was not afraid to be along with Vhong because we were taping with lots of other people around outside,” she said.

The complainant said she never thought of filing or pursuing a case against the actor.

“It is only now that I am coming out to tell my story because I was inspired by the courage of other women who are coming out now to seek justice and to tell the truth about Vhong,” she said.

No surprise

Navarro’s lawyer, Alma Mallonga, told The STAR in a phone interview that they have yet to receive a copy of the complaint. She added, however, that they are not surprised by this development.

“This is something that we were expecting. This doesn’t surprise me,” she said.

Mallonga said they are ready to face the case head on, noting that this is an act of desperation by Navarro’s detractors. “The timing of filing raises serious questions,” she said.

In January, Navarro was beaten up by businessman Cedric Lee and several others who claimed they caught him raping Cornejo in her condominium unit in Taguig.

Cornejo has since filed a rape case against the actor, who denied the allegations.

Navarro also denied the rape charges Cabanero filed before the Pasig City prosecutor’s office. The complainant accused the actor of raping her in 2010.

He filed perjury raps against Cabanero as well as Lee, Cornejo and the others who beat him up.