VHONG'S CAMP LOSES FAITH IN CASE'S JUDGE



MANILA - The camp of Vhong Navarro admitted they have "lost faith" in the judge handling the serious illegal detention case filed by the television host and actor over an alleged mauling incident last January 22.
In an interview on DZMM on Tuesday, Navarro's lawyer Atty. Alma Mallonga said they have contested the decision of Judge Paz Esperanza-Cortes of the Regional Trial Court Branch 271.
Esperanza-Cortes on Monday granted the motion of model Deniece Cornejo and her other co-accused, Cedric Lee and Simeon Raz, Jr., to post bail, which was set at P500,000 each.
Mallonga confirmed that they have submitted both their motion for reconsideration and motion for inhibition against the resolution.
"We have lost our confidence in the court to appreciate this case properly. It appears to me that the court said that there was admittedly a detention but ang sabi ng korte na whether or not the detention is illegal is of doubt," she said.
"Amazingly enough, the matter of whether or not a rape occurred, the court also said it is not yet to be determined. In other words, nothing happened. The CCTV footage is meaningless. It does not show that rape could not have possible occurred and you rely instead on the doubts engendered by the counter affidavits of the accused who have never even testified in court," she said.
Mallonga also explained that her decision to make public their frustrations against the court and the judge in question was because of the opposing camp's claim that the decision "validates" their innocence.
"We are saying this by the way, we are minded to say this in public because the accused have already gone out in public and said, categorically, that the case and the decision of the court vindicates the accused and that it validates what they have been saying all along that they had effected merely a lawful arrest," she said.
"Mga kaibigan, alam na alam natin dahil nakita natin sa sarili natin mga mata at paggamit natin ng utak na hindi posible 'iyon. But the court said it will not yet determine that matter. So my question is, when? Kailan kaya?" she added.
The lawyer also maintained that her client, Navarro is still innocent, noting that there is no pending rape cases against the actor.
"Huwag natin sabihin na si Vhong pa dito ang may sala. Wala pong kaso na rape that is pending against Vhong. The CCTV footage made it very clear that rape is impossible. So I tell you, how can there be doubt about the matter?" she said.





SOURCE: ABS-CBN

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