Businessman Cedric Lee emerged and testified at the bail hearing of detained TV host Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro, who was charged for allegedly raping model Deniece Cornejo on Jan. 17, 2014.
Navarro has filed a petition for bail with the Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 69, which is hearing the rape case.
The court issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest for the rape case against him on Sept. 19. Navarro is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation Detention Center in Manila.
Lawyer Howard Calleja, Cornejo’s lead counsel, presented Lee as the prosecution’s first witness in Navarro’s bail hearing on Oct. 13.
Navarro attended the hearing through videoconferencing, an arrangement that was granted by the court due to Covid-19 protocols.
Before the 1:30 p.m. hearing, Calleja went outside the Taguig Hall of Justice to fetch Lee and they arrived together.
“First hearing ngayon so we will be presenting our first witness,” Calleja told Manila Bulletin before the start of the hearing.
He said for the rape case, the prosecution will be presenting 16 witnesses but for the bail hearing, they are allowed to present up to five.
The Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office filed cases of rape and acts of lasciviousness against Navarro before the Taguig RTC, which are being handled by two courts.
The information filed stated that on Jan. 17, 2014, Navarro “through force, threat and intimidation, and by purposely intoxicating the victim, did willfully, unlawfully and feloniously have carnal knowledge with one Deniece Millinete Cornejo.”
The two cases were filed based on the order of the Court of Appeals (CA) in a decision promulgated last July 21 in favor of Cornejo on the review of her complaints against Navarro.
The CA ordered the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office “to file the Information against Ferdinand “Vhong” H. Navarro for: (1) Rape by Sexual Intercourse under Article 266-A (1) of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Republic Act No. 8353; and (2) Acts of Lasciviousness under Article 336 of the Revised Penal Code.”
Under RA 8353 or the The Anti-Rape Law of 1997, rape by sexual intercourse “shall be punished by reclusion perpetua.” This carries a penalty of imprisonment from 20 to 40 years, according to the Philippine Commission on Women.
Lee did not talk to the media after his testimony. Calleja also declined to give details of Lee's testimony.
“We finished with our first witness today. Si Cedric. The next hearing will be on the 17th on Monday. We will present another witness by then,” said Calleja.
He added, “The merits, mahirap sabihin kung ano nangyari. Iyan na po ay pupunta sa pagtimbang ng korte. Tayo ay magko-cooperate. Wala namang tayong delay (The merits, it is hard to say what happened. That will go to the court for weighing. We will cooperate. There is no delay)."
For the bail, he said, they have five hearing dates until Nov. 10.
“Isang araw lang ako pina-prepare so I have to prepare for my other witnesses na darating. Testigo natin siya so lahat ng testigo natin ay mahalaga (I was given only one day to prepare so I have to prepare for my other witnesses who are coming. He is our witness so all our witnesses are important)," he said.
Cornejo did not attend the bail hearing but Calleja said she will appear in person “at the proper time. We will have her here.”
For bail, under the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure, “the prosecution has the burden of showing that evidence of guilt is strong.”
“The evidence presented during the bail hearing shall be considered automatically reproduced at the trial, but upon motion of either party, the court may recall any witness for additional examination unless the latter is dead, outside the Philippines, or otherwise unable to testify,” according to the rules.
Alma Mallonga, Navarro’s lawyer, said they were able to cross examine Lee during his testimony.
About Navarro, she said “he was very interested in what was going on. He’s watching. He is okay.”
Mallonga said this was the second time that she and Lee crossed paths.
In 2018, a Taguig court found Lee, Cornejo and Jed Fernandez guilty of grave coercion in connection with the case filed by Navarro who accused them of forcing him to admit to raping Cornejo by signing a police blotter.
“His conviction was affirmed on appeal,” said Mallonga about Lee.
In addition, Lee, Cornejo and Simon Raz were charged with serious illegal detention of Navarro, a case that is still ongoing.