Fiscal junks stuntwoman’s rape case vs Vhong

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City prosecutor’s office has dismissed the appeal of a stuntwoman who filed a rape case against actor-host Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro.

In a three-page resolution released on Wednesday, city prosecutor Donald Lee said the motion for reconsideration filed by the stuntwoman did not raise new matters or substantial arguments that merit the reversal of the earlier dismissal of the case.

In October, assistant city prosecutor Nilda Ordoño recommended the dismissal of the rape complaint against Navarro as the stuntwoman failed to establish that there was “assertions of force, threat or intimidation or grave abuse of authority.”

“There was no evidence that respondent threatened her with physical harm or with a weapon if she would not submit to his desires,” read the resolution.

“There is no reason for the complainant to be afraid of respondent so as to just follow whatever he required her to do as the incident allegedly happened ‘with lots of other people around outside,’” it added.

In her complaint filed in April, the stuntwoman – who worked as a double in a telenovela starring Navarro – said the alleged rape happened in the actor’s vehicle in early 2009.

In his counter-affidavit, Navarro said the supposed rape happened more than five years ago, casting doubts on the credibility of the charge itself and of the complainant.

Navarro added that the complainant is physically fit, agile and strong and could “have easily pushed him away.”

The complaint was filed after model Deniece Cornejo filed her own rape complaint last year against Navarro, who accused her, businessman Cedric Lee and several others of beating him up when Cornejo invited him to her condominium unit in Taguig. Cornejo’s case was dismissed, as was another rape complaint filed by beauty contestant Roxanne Cabanero.