Entertainment

LIST: Women accusing Vhong Navarro of sexual assault

September 26, 2022 | 4:07pm

MANILA, Philippines — Kapamilya TV host Ferdinand "Vhong" Navarro's appeal to stop the filing of charges of rape and acts of lasciviousness against him was recently junked by the Court of Appeals (CA).

This was after model Deniece Cornejo was given another chance by the CA to air her side on the sexual harassment and rape allegations she filed against the actor.

In a 26-page decision signed by Associate Justice Florencio M. Mamauag Jr., the appeals court ordered the Office of the City Prosecutor of Taguig to file Rape by Sexual Intercouse under Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act 8353, and Acts of Lasciviousness under Article 336 of the Revised Penal Code against Navarro.

Navarro is now behind bars in a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) facility.

Who are the women with sexual misconduct allegations against the “It’s Showtime” host?

Deniece Cornejo

According to sworn statements sent to court, Deniece described herself as a model, motivational or resource speaker, fashion stylist, and a businesswoman engaged in an online business selling authentic bags and jewelry, among others.

When the incident with Vhong happened, Deniece was also an irregular student in De La Salle University.

Deniece and Vhong reportedly first met at a shoe brand event in a Makati mall, where Vhong was the brand's celebrity endorser. Deniece then agreed to meet Navarro for dinner and drinks on January 17, 2014, but Vhong told her that it would be best if they meet in private to avoid rumors. Deniece said that the rape happened during that time as Vhong confirmed that he met Deniece that day, but claimed that the sexual encounter that followed was consensual. The CA recently reversed the past resolutions and instead granted Deniece’s petition to reopen the case.

Deniece has since then lent her voice to many causes. She was appointed as Ambassador of Goodwill for the Youth by the Chivalric Order of the Royal House of Baloi and was also a member of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.

Margarita Fajardo

Margarita is a stunt woman who worked with Vhong in the series "I Love Betty La Fea," starring Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz.

According to Margarita, Vhong raped her inside his car in 2009 while on a location shoot for "I Love Betty La Fea."

The body double filed a rape case against Vhong in April 2014. The case, however, was dismissed due to lack of evidence and "failure" from Margarita's camp "to establish force or intimidation" from Vhong, particularly since the incident allegedly happened with many people around the area.

Roxanne Acosta Cabanero

Roxanne is a pageant contestant and she filed a rape case against Vhong in 2014.

According to her affidavit, she was 20 years old when she met Vhong in a noontime show in 2010. She believed the TV host got her contact number from the noontime show's staff. When she started getting text messages from the actor, she admitted that she first felt "kilig" and happy to get a famous celebrity's attention.

She and Vhong began exchanging text messages, until such time when they agreed to meet. According to her, the host fetched her from a hotel where she was staying for a beauty contest and the alleged rape happened inside the actor's car.

Roxanne said that she filed the rape case against Vhong late because she didn't have the courage then and was scared of getting killed.

Roxanne joined Miss World Philippines 2014 but also backed out to focus on the case, which eventually was dismissed due to lack of evidence and inconsistencies in Roxanne's statements.

Kat Alano

Filipino-British model, actress, TV host and video jockey Kat Alano was born to a Filipino father and an English mother. She studied in Gresham's School, Norfolk, England, and in German Swiss International School in Hong Kong.

Born in Birmingham, England, Kat was a theater performer in England and starred in William Shakespeare plays and "West Side Story." She then began modeling in the Philippines and in 2004, was crowned Miss Batangas. Also in 2004, she won Studio 23's "VJ Hunt," alongside Juddha Paolo.

After such, she became a co-host of variety show "Wowowee." In 2007, she won MTV's "VJ Hunt" then besides being a VJ for MTV Philippines, she hosted Cinema One's "VIP Pass."

Although Kat didn't name Vhong as the one who allegedly raped her, she described her harasser as "Rhymes with Wrong." According to her social media posts, "Rhymes with Wrong" drugged her, and when she became dizzy and helpless, he did his way with her. She remembered wearing only T-shirt and jeans then and claimed that "Rhymes with Wrong" even struggled to pull down her pants.

She was also listed as the "Katherine Alano" as among the women backing Deniece's case against the actor.

Kat said that she didn’t file a case because her alleged rapist’s uncle made sure that the case will be dismissed.

After a brief showbiz sabbatical in the United Kingdom, she co-hosted "The KC Show with Kat" on Wave 89.1 alongside KC Montero.

Now a singer-songwriter for Alikat, Kat is now working on musical recordings and hosting her own podcast show. In 2015, she launched her own business, Diwata Yoga Mats.