A Senate panel on Monday, August 12, revealed that there is “strong evidence” against independent contractors Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, who are implicated in a complaint filed by actor Sandro Muhlach with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). This statement was made by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada during the second hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, chaired by Senator Robinhood Padilla.
The committee held an executive session upon the request of Nones and Cruz, who are facing allegations of abuse and sexual harassment. “What we all understand right now and we agreed…there is strong evidence against these two gentlemen,” Estrada said, emphasizing that the information would be withheld until all evidence has been gathered by the NBI.
Nones and Cruz, who were present at the hearing after skipping the first one, denied the allegations, which have been widely circulated on social media. “We did not commit any form of sexual harassment or abuse against Sandro Muhlach. By this time, in front of you, we deny all of these damaging accusations against us,” they stated.
The request for an executive session was made when the discussion turned to text messages exchanged between Muhlach and Nones before the alleged incident. During the hearing, Sandro’s father, Niño Muhlach, read portions of the text messages to demonstrate that it was not Sandro who initiated the conversation.
According to Niño, Nones texted Sandro at 3:59 a.m. on July 21. After a brief exchange, Nones suggested that they had alcohol in their room and could order more. When Sandro asked who was in the room, Nones replied, “just me,” but quickly added that he was only kidding and mentioned being with “drama peeps.” Sandro then agreed to drop by and interact with the creatives.
Independent contractor ng GMA Network na si Jojo Nones, itinanggi ang paggamit ng ilegal na droga para mapagsamantalahan umano ang aktor na si Sandro Muhlach.
— Politiko (@Politiko_Ph) August 12, 2024
Iginiit din niyang inosente siya at ang kapwa akusado na si Richard Cruz sa mga bintang ng pang-aabuso. pic.twitter.com/6TwxaxKGZQ
Estrada pointed out that Cruz and Nones’ camp made it appear on social media that Sandro had initiated contact, omitting the earlier conversation where Nones had invited him to their room.
The Senate panel indicated that if a case is filed by the NBI, it could happen within the week. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, August 14.