Two individuals accused of sexually abusing young actor Sandro Muhlach faced the Senate yesterday, where they denied the allegations. Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, independent contractors for GMA Network, expressed concern during the inquiry conducted by the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media that they might have been prejudged due to their sexual orientation.
The two did not attend the first hearing last week.
The alleged sexual abuse, which is also the subject of a complaint filed by Muhlach with the National Bureau of Investigation, reportedly occurred after the GMA Network gala night on July 20.
Nones and Cruz stated that they have been publicly vilified as if they were already convicted criminals.
“Kami po ang independent contractors ng GMA Network na tinutukoy sa mga online posts na kumalat noong mga nakaraang araw. Subalit, hindi po kami gumawa ng kahit anong sexual harassment o abuso laban kay Sandro Muhlach,” Cruz told the Senate inquiry. (We are the independent contractors of GMA Network referred to in online posts. However, we did not commit any sexual harassment or abuse against Sandro Muhlach).
“Sa pagkakataong ito sa harap ninyong lahat, mariing tinatanggi po namin ang lahat ng mapanirang akusasyon na ito laban sa amin,” he added. (Today, in front of you all, we firmly deny all these malicious accusations against us).
Nones echoed Cruz’s statement, asserting that he did not sexually harass or abuse the young actor.
“Kay Sandro, wala kaming ginawang masama sa’yo at alam mo ’yan! Hindi pa huli ang lahat na magsabi nang totoo,” Nones said. (Sandro, you know we did nothing wrong to you. It’s not too late to tell the truth).
“Bakla kami, oo. Pero hindi kami gumagawa ng masama sa kapwa. Bakla kami, oo, pero may takot kami sa Diyos,” he added. (We are gay, yes. But we don’t harm others. Yes, we are gay, but we are also God-fearing).
Both Cruz and Nones clarified that they are not executives of GMA Network, as some social media posts suggested, but are merely independent contractors.
As independent contractors, they emphasized that they would not jeopardize their careers or reputations by committing sexual harassment or abuse, especially against someone from a prominent entertainment family.
“Sa itinagal-tagal namin sa industriya, wala po kahit isa mang reklamo, sexual o anuman, ang nai-file sa amin. Kaya, hindi po namin sisirain ang iniingatan naming pangalan at karera at reputasyon para makapang-abuso o mang-harass ng isang tao,” Cruz added. (In all our years in the industry, not a single complaint, sexual or otherwise, has been filed against us. We would not ruin our name, career, and reputation to abuse or harass anyone).
They both appealed for justice against what they described as malicious claims, insisting that they can prove their innocence in court.
Earlier in the hearing, Sandro’s father, Nino Muhlach, testified that Nones and Cruz allegedly apologized to him in the presence of GMA Network senior vice president Annette Gozon-Valdes. However, Nones clarified that their apology was not an admission of wrongdoing.
“Sorry po pero wala kaming ginawang masama sa anak ninyo,” Nones recalled telling Sandro’s father. (Sorry, but we did nothing wrong to your son).
The hearing later moved into an executive session due to the sensitivity of some of the information being discussed.
GMA Network had earlier stated that it initiated its own investigation into the matter even before receiving the formal complaint from Muhlach. This followed social media posts that circulated online about the alleged incident involving the son of an actor.
