MANILA, Philippines — Former Kapuso singer Gerald Santos on Monday accused an unnamed musical director of raping him 19 years ago when he was still a minor.
At the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media’s hearing into the complaints of abuse and harassment in the entertainment industry, Gerald said he was not just harrased but violated at the age of 15.
“Ako po ay hindi po na-harass, hindi po na-abuse. Ako ay na-rape po. Na-rape po ako, your honor,” Gerald said.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who chairs the committee, then asked: “There are a lot of definitions of rape. How did you say it was rape?”
To which Gerald replied: “Handa po akong ikwento dito ang nangyari, pero ako po ay natatakot na baka po ako ay balikan ng mga taong ito.”
He then gave an account of the incident in 2005, when he was 15 years old. He said he has carried the memory since then out of shame.
“For 19 years kineep ko lamang ito dahil sa takot ko nga po, sa kahihiyan. Hiyang-hiya po talaga ako lalo na noon dahil ‘yung grupo na nasa loob ay parang dini-dismiss lang nila ‘yung sinabi ko, na parang mag-move on ka na lang kasi kalakaran ‘yan dito,” he said.
“Kaya ‘di ko nasabi agad… sa parents ko na iyak na lang nang iyak. Kinamatayan na ng lolo ko sa sama ng loob niya kasi ‘di po ako nabigyan ng katarungan po,” he added.
When asked if he is planning to file a complaint, Gerald said he has always wanted to sue the perpetrator but he has had no means.
“Kaya ako po ay naninik-loob sa inyo. After po nu’ng nagreklamo ako sa GMA, natanggal po ako sa GMA, halos gumapang po kami,” the singer said.
“Dumating sa point na gusto ko na rin tapusin ang buhay ko. Hirap na hirap po ako kung paano ko itataguyod ang pamilya ko,” he added.
Early this month, Gerald took to Facebook to say he is hoping that actor Sandro Muhlach will be given the justice the former was “once denied of.”
Muhlach on Monday filed a criminal complaint before the Department of Justice against the GMA 7 contractors who allegedly sexually abused him.
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