'Sa akin may kasalanan:' Vhong Navarro's wife speaks out about his resurfaced rape case and NBI detainment
The 2014 rape case surrounding Vhong Navarro and model Deniece Cornejo has resurfaced again eight years later, jumpstarting new statements and points of views from concerned parties.
On Sept. 10, the actor was issued his first warrant of arrest for 'acts of lavisciousness' in connection to the case, prompting Navarro to surrender to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) alongside his wife, Tanya Bautista. The first bail was set at P36,000
He has since been issued another warrant of arrest for the rape case itself, which is non-bailable.
Bautista has since come forward to the press on Sept. 21, sharing the couple's experience so far.
"Syempre, broken," Bautista began relaying on how they have been dealing with the case with their children. "Syempre, si Vhong ish-shield sa mga ganon. You know, social media so alam naman nila but it has to come from me para maintindihan nila kung ano nangyayari."
"I would describe it as [a] rollercoaster. Kasi good news, then after a day, bad news," she added.
Bautista also said that the next step is for their camp to petition for bail for both warrants of arrest: "Lahat ng ebidensya binigay namin. Bong was very consistent sa kwento niya since day one."
As for the directive to move Vhong to Taguig City Jail, his wife raised concerns that it was "very scary" and a "threat" for the actor's life. His lawyer has since filed a motion to reconsider the detention.
She went on to address Vhong's accusers and naysayers, saying that the actor had been making it up to Tanya for the past eight years.
"Gusto ko lang sabihin na alam naman nila. Alam nila, so sakin may kasalanan si Vhong. Sakin—nuon mula ngayon. Sakin siya may atraso, pinatawad ko yung tao and for the last eight years bumabawi siya. We got married.
"Yun yung akala ko nung eight years na yun tapos na yung kaso and nagpakasal pa kami. Sobrang importante nito sakin kasi bumabawi siya then this happened," Bautista added.
Businessman Cedric Lee, who was also with Vhong and Deniece on the night of the incident, said in a statement to ABS-CBN News that he feels "vindicated" by the recent turn of events.
"He has to face all the charges against him. Just like we did," he said. "I feel slightly vindicated [because] finally we will have our day in court after almost nine years. This serial rapist will finally be made to answer for all the women he raped."
In an interview with ANC's Headstart, Navarro's lawyer, Atty. Alma Mallonga, said that they were confident in winning the case, starting with the petition for bail and beating the allegations.
“We are so ready. We are so eager to get on with this, this is what we need to do. Let’s confront it. Let's just fight. My request is that let us not delay. Please do not give us any reason to delay."
"Our first and foremost duty is to set Mr. Vhong Navarro free on bail."
In 2014, Cornejo alleged the actor of raping her in a Taguig condominium on January 22. She also later claimed that Navarro raped her on January 17 of the same year.
In 2018, a Taguig court found Cornejo, businessman Cedric Lee, and Jed Fernandez guilty of grave coercion after Navarro countered that he was assaulted and detained on the same night to admit the accusations. Cornejo's case had since been overthrown in 2018 and 2020 by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
However, the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed previous resolutions dismissing Cornejo's claims and directed the case back to the City Prosecutor of Taguig City, prompting Navarro's current detainment.