Ex-Binibining Pilipinas candidate Roxanne Acosta Cabañero narrated how Vhong Navarro raped her in 2010, describing him as a "monster" who raped and "violated" her inside his car parked under a tree.
On Wednesday, Cabanero filed her rape complaint against Navarro at the Pasig City Prosecutor's Office, almost a month after the January 22 incident wherein the actor was mauled inside the condominium unit of model Deniece Cornejo.
In a media interview with ABS-CBN, she said she met Navarro in the latter's "It's Showtime" program while she and her fellow candidates were promoting a beauty pageant.
She said:
"May babae kasi sa 'Showtime' -- I don't know her name -- bigla lang niyang sinikreto, na puwede bang hingin 'yung number. Hinihingi raw 'yung number [mo] ni Mr. Vhong. Sabi ko, 'Okay.' And then I just gave my number to this girl.
"Nadala lang siguro talaga ako kasi idol na idol ko siya. Siya iyung pinaka-unang artista na nakasama ko, na kinausap ako. Very first... And then 'yon, nung kinausap niya ako... Nag-text siya sa akin. I can still remember the number. Sabi, 'Hi, ito si Vhong. How are you?'"
"[he] was texting me, texting me, texting me [at my hotel room in Pasig] all throughout until nag-invite na nga siya sa akin lumabas."
"At first, gusto niyang pumasok sa hotel kung sa akin kami nag-stay. And then, sabi ko, 'Hindi puwede, may mga kandidata, eh. Bawal din kasi kami magdala ng bisita dito at may curfew kami sa paglabas.' Sabi niya, 'Sige, I'll pick you up na lang,'"
"So ayun, he picked me up. But during the conversation before pa niya ako i-pick up, tinatanong ko siya sa text, 'Saan tayo pupunta?' Sabi niya, 'Diyan lang sa tabi-tabi.' Sabi ko, 'No, seriously, where?' Sabi niya, 'Let's just talk about it over coffee.'"
"Nagtinginan kami, nagtawanan kami like 10 seconds [inside his car]. And then 'yun... After no'n, sinabi niya sa akin, 'Let's go somewhere private,'"
"And I was shocked. I'm like, 'What? I thought we were going to have coffee?' Siyempre kinabahan na ako."
Raped inside his car
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| 2011: Roxanne Cabanero competed in the Bb Pilipinas. |
She said:
"Medyo madilim na, there's no one. Wala nang masyadong tao... He pulled the car and he started doing what he was doing. He violated me, he threatened me. It was the most horrific moment of my life,"
"I trusted him with his image na komedyante siya. It's so unfair kasi I [felt] safe, and when he did that, he just turned into this monster."
"Sabi niya, pag hindi ako mag-ano, may tao siya sa labas at sila na bahala pag umayaw ako... Pag umayaw ako, papatayin niya ako,"
"'Yung kapatid ko, I told her... I didn't tell her the whole story, I just told her like, 'Yeah, I knew Vhong and he did something to me.' We cried that day. And then she just told me, 'Do you want some ice cream?''Okay.'
"But I have a friend, pinagsabihan ko ng buong detalye. Siya lang ang nakakaalam sa lahat. Sabi niya, 'Ipasa-Diyos mo nalang 'yan.' I told her because feeling ko parang hindi ko na kinakaya inside and if sasabihin ko sa mga kaibigan kong babae, they're just going to blame me. And so I told this person because I know she will not judge me,"
"[I got a text from him] on that night (of the alleged rape). He seemed friendly -- from being a comedian, monster, and friendly. I stayed friends with him kasi takot ako. I just put that face na, 'Okay, hindi ako magsasalita,' kasi sabi niya, pag nagsalita ako, talo ako. Swerte pa nga raw at k***** pa niya ako. Sikat na ako,'"
"Takot ako sa kanya. And as much as possible, ayokong lumapit sa kanya, kasi I know if lalapit ulit ako sa kanya... We don't know kung anong gagawin na naman niya sa akin. So I just stayed friendly, but away from him."Cabanero said that the last message she got from Navarro was in 2013, when he allegedly asked if he could visit her in her condominium unit.
She declined Navarro's wishes and said she was already in a relationship. She claimed she erased Navarro's text messages, out of concern that her boyfriend might find out that the actor was communicating with her.
On Deniece Cornejo and Cedric Lee
After hearing of the January 22 incident involving Navarro and model Deniece Cornejo, Cabanero recalled being shocked.
"And then when I heard about Deniece's situation, na-inspire ako sa kanya,"
"Noong nalaman ko 'yung storya [tungkol kay Deniece], everything, lahat ng nangyari nag-flash back sa akin... Isang buong araw, I was crying,"
"So after three days, I told [my boyfriend]. Naghanap na kami ng tao na puwede na malapitan. And it so happened that a good friend of mine knows [Atty. Virgilio] Batalla,"
"Hindi ko kilala [Cedric Lee and Deniece Cornejo]. And as much as possible, ayokong maapektuhan ang kaso ko dahil dito. Ayokong ma-link sa kanila. 'Yung kaso ko, kaso ko. Sa kanila, sa kanila."
"Hindi ko nga kilala [Cedric Lee]. Paano niya ako babayaran? And if he ever comes up to me, I'll say, 'Please, huwag mo muna ako lapitan. Let me finish this one and then you can talk to me if you want to talk to me.'"
"Wala kasi akong plano mag-artista o maging politician or whatever. This is not about being famous. I'm seeking justice, that's what I want."
"Magduda sila. Basta ako, wala akong pakialam sa kanila, kay Cedric o Deniece. Basta sa akin, sa akin. I'm here for one thing -- justice. And this is my way to heal, kasi hindi ko na talaga kaya. I cannot. I need to move one with my life. This is like a ghost na sunod nang sunod sa akin, haunting me, every night."
"I've talked to my parents, my boyfriend kung desidido na ba talaga ako. This is going to be really, really tough -- a bloody war. And I said, 'Let's do it.' That's why I'm here.
"Kung hindi ako lumabas, kailan pa? I cannot keep this forever. I want to face it. I've been living in fear for four years at takot na ako matakot. Ayoko na maging sheep, tupa na palagi nalang susunud-sunod at natatakot,"
"Wala akong message [to Navarro]. I'll just see him in court. Gusto ko siyang makita sa korte. At doon na siya mag-message. Not trying to be sarcastic, but if he wants to say something, sabihin niya na lang doon."
What Vhong's camp has to say
In a radio interview with DZMM, Navarro's legal counsel Atty. Mallonga said the actor knows Cabanero, but denied that he sexually assaulted the former pageant contestant.
Mallonga said:
"After nagsalita na 'yung abugado ng bagong complainant... And they're coming out openly na nakakapagtaka, because if you are a true rape victim, ayaw mong... Nabanggit ko na, tinanong ko na si Vhong, 'Kilala mo ba?' Sabi niya, 'Oo.'"
"At ang masasabi ko lang po, wala pong ginawang karahasan sa kanya si Vhong,"
They have not yet received a copy of Cabanero's rape complaint.
Meanwhile the actor has since filed six criminal charges against Cornejo and Lee's group: serious physical injuries, grave threat, grave coercion, unlawful arrest, blackmail, and serious illegal detention, which is a non-bailable offense.
Just this Friday, Cornejo, Cedric and Bernice Lee, and Zimmer Raz -- have formally submitted their counter-affidavits to the Department of Justice's preliminary investigation panel.
On February 28, the panel will hear the side of two other respondents in the charges -- JP Calma and Jed Fernandez.--Source: ABS-CBN News