MANILA, Philippines – Veteran actor Niño Muhlach turned emotional at a Senate hearing, Wednesday, August 7, as he recalled his son Sandro’s reaction after being allegedly sexually harassed by two independent contractors from the GMA Network. 

“Nanginginig at hindi halos mahawakan ang telepono niya ‘nung kwinekwento niya ang ginawa sa kanya,” he said during the Senate hearing on Wednesday, August 7. ([Sandro] was shaking and almost couldn’t hold his phone when he was telling me what happened to him.) 

He added that Sandro was even hesitant to file a complaint as he was wary of how this will affect his work and how the network will react.

Muhlach attended the hearing on behalf of his son Sandro, who their legal counsel said is still traumatized by the incident. A representative from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said that the young actor was advised to refrain from using social media and limit his public exposure. 

Reports of a young actor being allegedly sexually assaulted by two “GMA executives” started circulating in late July, with the reports noting that the incident allegedly happened after the GMA Gala on July 20. 

On August 1, GMA Network issued a statement that they “received a formal complaint from Sparkle artist Sandro Muhlach against two GMA independent contracts, Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz.” 

The network said that they will “withhold all details of the formal investigation” to respect Sandro’s request for confidentiality. GMA added that they also initiated their own investigation regarding the incident. 

On August 2, Sandro, together with his father Niño, formally filed a sexual molestation complaint against Nones and Cruz to the NBI.

During the hearing, Muhlach emphasized that they’re not involving the GMA Network in their complaint as they’re only focusing on the two alleged perpetrators. Their legal team said that their case is “directly against” Nones and Cruz only. 

Muhlach also lamented how he had previous ties with one of the alleged perpetrators as Nones was the head writer of the 2023 TV series Walang Matigas na Mister sa Matinik na Misis that he starred in. 

“Sobrang galang ko sa kanya, kapag may mga events kami, ako pa lumalapit sa kanya… Hindi ko matanggap ang ginawa niya sa anak ko… Sobrang sama ng loob ko talaga kay Jojo Nones,” he said. (I was very respectful to him, I was even approaching him first in our events. I can’t believe that he was able to do this to my son. I really have a grudge against Jojo Nones.) 

“Hindi ko naman sinasabi na may ginawan silang iba pero kung nakaya nilang gawin sa isang pamilya na may pundasyon na sa industriyang ito, paano pa sa iba?,” Muhlach added. (I’m not saying that they did this to others, but if they were able to do this to a family who already has a foundation in the entertainment industry, what more to others?)

“Kahit sino namang ama o magulang ganito rin ang mararamdaman,” he said. (Any dad or parent will also feel the way that I do.)

‘Fair and thorough investigation’

Atty. Anna Teresa Gozon-Valdes, senior vice president for programming/talents management group of GMA Network, was present at the hearing, and told the Senate panel that they will “conduct a fair and thorough investigation,” and impose the corresponding penalties if the results warrant. 

She said that while the alleged incident happened outside of company premises, and not during an official event, GMA Network is investigating the case as the three involved are under contract with the company.

Gozon-Valdes said that they accompanied Sandro when it filed an HR complaint within GMA, and offered counseling services for the actor. The network said that they also issued preemptive suspension orders to Nones and Cruz when the news broke. 

She said that they are “not at liberty to divulge anything,” with Muhlach’s camp requesting for “extreme confidentiality,” and for Sandro’s well-being to be prioritized in the proceedings.

Senate issues subpoena for Nones, Cruz

The Wednesday hearing was presided by Senator Robin Padilla, who earlier said that the the Senate committee on public information and mass media will also investigate the said sexual harassment incident. 

Both Nones and Cruz were not present at the Wednesday hearing. According to a GMA report, the contractors’ legal counsel Atty. Maggie Abraham-Garduque said that her clients “might be questioned during the senate hearing which may be tantamount to cross-examination during the trial of the case.” 

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, however, said during the hearing that the statements in Nones and Cruz’s letter explaining their absence were “totally unacceptable.” 

“I just would like to give a piece of advice to these two gentlemen, alam niyo pagka-inimbita kayo sa Senado, ‘wag niyo i-preempt ‘yung aming mga tanong,” he said. (I just would like to give a piece of advice to these two gentlemen, if you were invited by the Senate, don’t preempt our questions.) 

Estrada then recommended that the Senate should issue a subpoena ad testificandum for Nones and Cruz so they’d be compelled to attend the next hearings. Senator Bong Revilla seconded the motion, with panel chair Padilla approving it. 

The hearing was called to discuss the policies of television networks and artist management agencies in relation to complaints of abuse and harassment. – Rappler.com