Detained TV host and comedian Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro was transferred to the Taguig City Jail on Monday, Nov. 21.
Navarro’s transfer from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention center in Manila to the Taguig City Jail was ordered by Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 69, which is handling the rape case filed against him by model Deniece Cornejo.
The court issued a commitment order, which was received by the NBI on Nov. 14. Navarro will be detained in the Taguig City Jail Male Dormitory, supervised by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), located in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig
The Taguig jail facility houses 993 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
A video by ABS-CBN showed Navarro wearing an orange t-shirt as he was being led out of the NBI detention center by NBI personnel.
On Sept. 19, the Taguig court issued a non-bailable warrant of arrest for rape against Navarro. He surrendered to the NBI in Quezon City on Sept. 19 for the first warrant of arrest for acts of lasciviousness, also filed by Cornejo, with a bail of P36,000 issued by the Taguig Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 116.
The non-bailable warrant of arrest was issued in the afternoon of Sept. 19. He was transferred to the NBI detention center in Manila on Sept. 20.
Navarro filed a petition for bail for his provisional liberty with the Taguig RTC Branch 69, which held five hearings, the last one was on Nov. 10.
Navarro’s lawyers are hoping that the court will grant bail to the TV host.
“The important thing is that the bail petition is already submitted for resolution and that the decision on bail should come out soon,” Alma Mallonga, the lead counsel for Navarro, earlier said.
According to Mariglen Abraham-Garduque, Navarro’s collaborating counsel, “The court issued the order even prior to the petition for bail.”
“It is just that the defense filed a motion for reconsideration due to security reasons. This is the reason why the court during the hearing on motion for reconsideration called for a representative of Taguig City Jail and asked clarificatory questions on how equipped is their facility to ensure the safety and protection of detainees,” she said.
The Taguig RTC Branch 69 has yet to issue a decision on Navarro’s petition for bail.
“In the event the petition for bail is granted, then the court will issue the order directing the warden of Taguig City Jail to release Vhong. We are still awaiting for the resolution of the court on our petition for bail,” said Abraham-Garduque.
Navarro is accused of raping Cornejo on Jan. 17, 2014 in her condominium unit in Taguig. The acts of lasciviousness were allegedly committed on Jan. 22, 2014. He denied the charges.
In 2014, Navarro was beaten and hospitalized. He filed charges of grave coercion and serious illegal detention against Cornejo, Cedric Lee, and others.