Vhong Navarro, an actor, and host, will ask the Court of Appeals (CA) to reconsider its order ordering the filing of r@pe and attempted r@pe charges against him in connection with an incident in 2014 involving model Deniece Cornejo.

In a Tuesday meeting with TeleRadyo, Navarro’s lawyer, Atty. Alma Mallonga stated that they will seek this solution once they have a copy of the CA decision overturning the DOJ’s 2018 and 2020 resolutions, which dismissed Cornejo’s complaints on the grounds that the claims lacked credibility.

“Actually hindi pa namin pormal na natatanggap ‘yung decision. Pagkatanggap namin, baka kumuha nga kami ng kopya, magsasampa na kami ng Motion for Reconsideration. Ang ibig sabihin doon, hindi talaga final pa ‘yung decision ng Court of Appeals. Maaari pa niyang tignan ulit. ‘Yun ang aming imumungkahi, na tignan muli ‘yung petition,” she stated.

Mallonga also stated that Navarro’s serious illegal detention case involving the other sides is still currently in progress, with the main argument being that the actor-host is the victim and did not engage in r@pe.

“Anong mangyayari, na ang DOJ ang tumutugis kanila Deniece tapos biglang sinasabi na, ‘Hindi, baliktarin natin ang kwento.’ Para ba namang siguro interference ‘yun sa pag-prosecute ng criminal case. Ang lead prosecutor diyan ay DOJ, private prosecutors lang kami,” she stated.
Mallonga stated that their camp believes in the country’s criminal justice system and that Navarro will workout all of his legal options and remedies.

“Hindi pa final ‘yung decision ng Court of Appeals. Beyond the Court of Appeals, may remedy pa ng petition for review on certiorari sa Korte Suprema kung sakali. Naniniwala pa rin kami sa justice system. Katulad ng kabilang panig, we just like to reaffirm na we stand by the judicial system. Let’s see what happens.”

Meanwhile, in response to the CA ruling ordering prosecutors to charge Navarro with r@pe and attempted r@pe, Justice Secretary Boying Remulla told media, “We will obey the courts.”

Cornejo accused Navarro of r@ping her in her condominium unit in Taguig City’s Bonifacio Global City on January 22, 2014.

The issue was publicly known because it resulted in Navarro’s battering after Cornejo’s “friends,” Cedric Lee and others, attacked him inside Cornejo’s condominium unit before tying him up and transporting him to a Southern Police District station.

Navarro claimed Lee, Cornejo, and their associates attempted to extort up to P2 million from him and pressured him to sign a police blotter confessing to trying to r@ped Cornejo.