Comedian and television host Ferdinand “Vhong” H. Navarro will remain under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in its detention center in Manila after his surrender to the agency last Monday, Sept. 19.
“Nasa NBI Manila na siya (He is at NBI Manila),” said NBI Information Division Chief Nicanor Suarez.
Navarro turned himself over the NBI office in Quezon City last Monday after learning that Presiding Judge Angela Francesca M. Din of the Taguig City metropolitan trial court (MeTC) Branch 116 issued an order dated Sept. 15 for his arrest on acts of lasciviousness filed in 2014 by model Deniece Millinete Cornejo.
In the afternoon of Sept. 19, Judge Loralie Cruz Datahan of Taguig City regional trial court (RTC) Branch 69 issued an arrest warrant against Navarro for rape, a non-bailable offense, for violation of Article 266-A (1) of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Republic Act No. 8353, also on Cornejo’s complaint.
Under Judge Datahan’s order, any law enforcer is ordered to arrest Navarro “to guarantee his appearance before this court as required under the conditions specified in Section 2 of Rule 114 of the Rules of Court.”
Rape and acts of lasciviousness cases were filed against Navarro on orders of the Court of Appeals (CA) which reversed the resolutions issued by the prosecutor’s office and the Department of Justice (DOJ) that dismissed the complaints filed by Cornejo.
It was reported that Navarro’s lawyers will file a motion for bail before the RTC.