FILE PHOTO: Richard Cruz at the hearing of the Senate committee on public information and mass media, which is looking into the alleged abuse of Sandor Muhlach. (📸Andrea Mae Esteban, Senate Social Media Unit / Screengrab)
MANILA, Philippines — One of Sandro Muhlach’s alleged abusers, Richard Cruz, did not show up at Tuesday’s hearing of a Senate panel due to gastrointestinal bleeding.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada inquired about Cruz’s attendance at the public hearing, to which Atty. Adonai Jan Aslarona replied:
“Mr. Richard Cruz right now is confined at BGC, St. Luke’s. Since last night he’s been having stomach pains and two weeks ago he was already confined due to gastrointestinal bleeding.”
“Two weeks ago he was already confined and just last night he had gastric bleeding again so he was rushed to the hospital, in St, Luke’s BGC,” Cruz’s lawyer added.
READ: Sandro Muhlach files complaint vs GMA consultants accused of sexual abuse
Estrada then asked the secretary of the Senate committee on public information and mass media to verify the information. The secretariat eventually affirmed that Cruz was confined in the hospital.
Cruz was an independent contractor of GMA Network. He and Jojo Nones were accused of sexually abusing Muhlach on July 20, after the celebrity gala of GMA Network.
Nones and Cruz have repeatedly denied the allegations.
READ: Sandro Muhlach on trauma from sexual abuse: ‘Habang buhay ko dadalhin ito’
In a joint statement they read during the Senate panel’s previous hearings, they admitted to being gay but maintained that they are not abusers.
“Kay Sandro Muhlach, wala kaming ginawang masama sa’yo at alam mo ‘yan sa puso mo. Hindi pa huli ang lahat na magsabi ng totoo,” they said.
(Sandro Muhlach, we did not do anything bad to you and you know it deep within your heart. It’s not yet too late to tell the truth.)