The camp of “It’s Showtime” host and comedian Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro is ready for his rape trial that will start in February next year.
Navarro, now free on a P1 million bail, is accused of raping model Deniece Cornejo in her condominium unit in Taguig on Jan. 17, 2014.
He was released from the Taguig City Jail Male Dormitory on Dec. 6 after the Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 69 granted his petition for bail, ruling that “taking the evidence presented in the bail hearings as a whole, this Court is not convinced at this point, that there exists a presumption great leading to the inference of the accused’s guilt.”
Lawyer Mariglen Abraham-Garduque, Navarro’s collaborating counsel, said they are ready for the trial, which will start on Feb. 16.
“Yes, the legal team is ready for trial. All the witnesses to be presented are stated in the pretrial order and the legal team is prepared for each witness,” she said.
In her order of release from detention for Navarro dated Dec. 6, Taguig RTC Branch 69 Presiding Judge Loralie Cruz Datahan also scheduled the presentation of evidence by the prosecution and defense.
She ordered that the presentation of the prosecution’s evidence-in-chief will be held starting on Feb. 16 next year, the first trial date in the rape case.
“For next year's trial it is still set for prosecution's evidence on the main case for rape. It is not yet defense evidence,” said Abraham-Garduque.
The prosecution will present their evidence in 13 hearings from Feb. 16 next year to April 11, 2024.
After the prosecution, it will be the defense’s turn to present their evidence in six hearings from May 16, 2024 to Nov. 14, 2024.
Navarro earlier thanked the Taguig court for granting him bail that will allow him to spend Christmas with his family.