Anabelle says complaint cousin’s “vendetta suit”

CEBU, Philippines - “I vehemently deny any liability for the instant charges.”

This was the response of celebrity talent manager Annabelle Rama Gutierrez on the complaint her cousin, businessman Jose Vincent Rama del Prado Jr., filed last month before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.

“This case is nothing but a ‘vendetta suit’ by the complainant because I divulged to the public the betrayal he committed against me during the election,” read her counter-affidavit.

She asked state prosecutor Alex Gabud to dismiss del Prado’s complaint for lack of merit.

Gutierrez ran under Team Rama in the elections last May 13 for the Cebu City North District representative seat but lost.

Del Prado alleged that Gutierrez’s check worth P1.5 million bounced after it was presented before a bank last June because the account was already closed.

In her counter-affidavit, Gutierrez alleged that her P1.5-million check was a “show check” which complainant borrowed.

“He was supposed to return those checks,” she said.

Gutierrez said she never asked for money from del Prado and that although he did not even contribute “a single cent” to her campaign, it was fine with her because she had enough funds.

She said that because she is a public person she would not allow her check to bounce unless she has a valid reason.

She also said she was running for public office that time “my reputation and financial credibility (were) important to me”.—/RHM (FREEMAN)