MANILA, Philippines – Itutuloy ni actor Vhong Navarro ang mga legal na hakbang matapos iutos ng Court of Appeals (CA) ang pagpapalaya kina Deniece Cornejo at Cedric Lee, ayon sa kanyang abogado na si Alma Mallonga nitong Lunes.
“Through all these years, Mr. Vhong Navarro chose to keep faith with the justice system in place in our country… In keeping with that faith, he will continue to pursue all the remedies that are available to him,” ani Mallonga sa mensahe sa ABS-CBN News.
“He is prepared to fully accept the result of that process when it finally ends,” dagdag niya.
Binago ng CA ang hatol kina Lee at Cornejo sa kasong isinampa ni Navarro at ibinaba ang kanilang offense mula serious illegal detention for ransom tungo sa grave coercion.
Hinatulan sila ng tig-anim na buwang minimum hanggang tatlong taon, anim na buwan at 21 araw na maximum na pagkakakulong.
Iginiit din ni Mallonga na “it is not true that the accused have been detained since 2014, which is the reason the Court of Appeals had ordered their immediate release.”
“But they have, in fact, been serving time in prison. Whether or not the period the accused have spent in incarceration is sufficient, considering the affirmance of their conviction, is a matter of law which everyone is bound to respect,” aniya.
“Mr. Navarro shall continue to trust in the process and abide by whatever that requires,” dagdag ni Mallonga.
Samantala, sinabi ng Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) na bineberipika nito ang mga court order bago palayain sina Lee at Cornejo, na nagsisilbi rin ng sentensya sa hiwalay na grave coercion case.
Nasa kustodiya ng BuCor si Lee mula Mayo 3, 2024, habang isang araw bago nito natanggap sa kustodiya si Cornejo.
Noong Setyembre 26, may 460 araw na Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) si Lee, kaya umabot sa tatlong taon, 10 buwan at 29 araw ang kanyang credited time served. Si Cornejo naman ay may 440 araw na GCTA at 75 araw na Time Allowance for Study, Teaching and Mentoring (TASTM), na nagbigay sa kanya ng tatlong taon, siyam na buwan at 24 araw na credited time served.
Batay sa kasalukuyang computation ng BuCor, Pebrero 18, 2027 ang minimum sentence date ni Lee at Disyembre 23, 2026 naman kay Cornejo. RNT/MDS
