Zanjoe Marudo made first move in 2011, says Cornejo in affidavit

Zanjoe Marudo

MANILA, Philippines–It was not Vhong Navarro but it was his friend and fellow actor Zanjoe Marudo who made the first move on Deniece Cornejo.

In an affidavit submitted to the Taguig Prosecutors Office on Wednesday, Cornejo narrated that she saw Navarro sometime in 2011 in a store of a Makati mall where he was endorsing an international shoe brand.

While shopping shoes for her brothers, Cornejo saw Navarro staring at her while uttering “ang ganda talaga (she is so beautiful).”

Marudo, who accompanied Navarro in the launch, made a move to Cornejo without even formally introducing himself.

In the affidavit, Cornejo said: “His companion, Xanjo (Zanjoe) Marudo (sic), without introductions, suddenly asked me ‘Para sa boyfriend mo? (Is that for your boyfriend)?”

Cornejo, however, did not say what her response was to Marudo’s question.

She continued: “After that incident, I noticed that Kuya Vhong kept trying to follow wherever I went at the event.”

Based on her sworn statement, Cornejo and Navarro did not interact further during the event. She was just “surprised” that days later, Navarro phoned her.

“During the same event, personnel from (the shoe brand) asked for my mobile number, and I, being an aspiring model, obliged. To my surprise, days later, someone called me saying, ‘Hi Denise, this is Vhong.” she said.

It was only in 2013 that Cornejo and Navarro started exchanging calls and messages, with the actor constantly asking her out for “dinner and drinks.”

Cornejo filed criminal charges against Navarro for allegedly raping her last Jan. 22 in a Forbeswood Hights condominium unit she rented.

According to her testimony, businessman Cedric Lee and others came to her rescue, beating up Navarro and bringing him to the Southern Police District headquarters, where they told authorities that they had enforced a “citizen’s arrest.”

But in Navarro’s sworn statement, the actor said that it was Cornejo who invited him to have dinner at her place. Navarro said that when he was inside Cornejo’s unit, two men came out of the room with one pointing a gun at the comedian-TV host.

Navarro said the men then pulled down his trousers and while he was naked, the perpetrators took out a camera, pointed it at him and was told to say: “Ako si Vhong, ni-rape ko ang kaibigan ko.” (I am Vhong and I raped my friend).

It said that Lee threatened to kill him and his family and demanded a payment of P2 million for damages to Cornejo.

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