MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed on Saturday that actor Niño Muhlach and his son Sandro formally filed a sexual molestation complaint the day before.
However, the NBI did not disclose the identities of the respondents. It said both father and son have requested privacy.
However, reports identified Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, independent consultants of GMA Network, as the respondents in the case.
In a statement last week, lawyer Maggie Abraham-Garduque, legal counsel of Nones and Cruz, said her clients were “deeply saddened by the serious allegations hurled against them circulating on social media.”
“And though these allegations do not mirror the true accounts of the event, we would like to reserve the right to respond in a proper forum when we receive a copy of the formal complaint,” Abraham-Garduque said.
She also asked the public to “refrain from posting baseless defamatory allegations” since the case was still being investigated.
“We advise people who have no personal knowledge of the incident to refrain from posting baseless defamatory allegations and therefore unfairly subjecting both parties to publicity trial,” said Abraham-Garduque.
At the same time, she warned people not to post pictures or images of her clients without their consent.
“This may constitute violation of their privacy and violation of the cybercrime law,” the lawyer pointed out.
GMA Network also confirmed that it has received a formal complaint from the 23-year-old Sandro Muhlach, a Sparkle artist, against the GMA independent contractors.
In a statement, the network said it has initiated an investigation into the allegations.
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