SANDRO Muhlach, the son of actor Niño Muhlach, submitted a formal complaint to the management of GMA Network against its independent “contractors,” Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz.
“GMA Network has just received a formal complaint from Sparkle artist Sandro Muhlach against two GMA independent contractors, Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz,” the Kapuso network said in an official statement released on Thursday, Aug. 1.
“Recognizing the seriousness of the alleged incident, GMA Network had already initiated its own investigation even before receiving the formal complaint,” it continued.
GMA further noted that Sandro requested for confidentiality, hence the “investigating body will withhold all details of the formal investigation until its conclusion.”
“The Network assures the public and all stakeholders of its commitment to conducting this investigation with the highest standards of fairness and impartiality,” it added.
While there was no mention of the specific incident in the statement, it can be noted that GMA previously addressed the blind item about the network’s two consultants, who allegedly sexually abused a young actor after the network’s recent gala night.
Reports further claimed that the victim is the son of an actor who comes from a known showbiz clan.
Speculations that this blind item was referring to Sandro then arose, and these were apparently further fueled by Niño and his wife’s cryptic posts about seeking “justice.” Sandro also shared a religious quote about the “helpless.”
After Sandro submitted a formal complaint, the camp of the two GMA independent contractors urged the public to “respect the investigation” and “refrain from posting baseless defamatory allegations.”
“Our clients are deeply saddened by the serious allegations hurled against them circulating on social media,” Nones and Cruz’s legal counsel Atty. Maggie Abraham-Garduque said in a statement to INQUIRER.net.
“And though these allegations do not mirror the true accounts of the event, we would like to reserve the right to respond in a proper forum when we receive a copy of the formal complaint,” she added.
As the case has drawn attention and reactions from netizens, Abraham-Garduque appealed, “We urge the public to respect the investigation being conducted on this case and we advise people who have no personal knowledge of the incident to refrain from posting baseless defamatory allegations and therefore unfairly subjecting both parties to publicity trial.”
Sandro has yet to speak up on the matter as of this writing, although the young actor shared the Kapuso network’s earlier statement via his Instagram Stories.
Sandro hails from a huge family of entertainers. His father was former child star before transitioning to teen and adult roles. His half-brother Alonzo was also a child actor, while the family on his father’s side counts as members the likes of grandmother and the “Queen of Philippine movies, Amalia Fuentes; his grandfather and Fuentes’ brother Alexander, who was also an actor for a time; the late Liezel Martinez and her husband, Albert Martinez, who is still active in showbiz; and, uncle and aunts Aga Muhlach, and Arlene and Almira Muhlach, who are all siblings. (Anne Pasajol © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
