Image: Facebook/Gerald Santos
Gerald Santos has finally named veteran musical director Danny Tan as the person who allegedly raped him when he was just a 15-year-old contestant in a singing contest on GMA.
For the first time since he attended the hearings of the Senate committee on public information and mass media, Santos identified the person who sexually abused him nine years ago, but also whom he accused of causing him to lose what what he thought could have been a lucrative career in the music industry.
“Ngayon po ay handa na po akong harapin ang tunay kong kalaban: ang nanghalay at umabuso sa akin noong ako po ay 15 years old. Si Mr. Danny Tan,” Santos said at the continuation of the hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
(Now, I am ready to face my real enemy: the person who raped and abused me when I was 15 years old. He’s Mr. Danny Tan.)
Santos also emotionally recounted how his career was jeopardized when he decided to inform his management of the abuse that he suffered.
“Yung psychiatric at psychological support po sa biktima ay napakalaking bagay lalo po kung bata ang biktima para magkaroon ng safeguards para kahit inalis na po yung sex offenders ay hindi na mababalikan o magagantihan ng mga kaibigan ng nasa posisyon at may loyalty doon sa taong tinanggal,” Santos said.
(Psychiatric and psychological support is important for the victim, especially if the victim is a minor so that there will be safeguards, and even if the sex offender is relieved from the post, the victim will not experience being picked on by friends who are in position and have loyalty to the person who was removed.)
“Ito po ang personal kong naranasan at matatawag ko po itong jeopardy. Ako na po ang naabuso, ako pa po ang nawalan ng trabaho,” he added.
(This is what I personally experienced and I can call this jeopardy. I was the one who got abused, yet I was the one who lost a job.)
He said in the previous hearing that he was a contestant in a TV singing contest where Tan was musical director when the alleged rape happened.
After the revelation, Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada asked Santos if he would be filing charges against Tan.
Santos answered that they’re still studying the appropriate charges they will file.
While Santos expressed relief on the action made by GMA network towards Tan, he hopes to have a copy of the investigation done by the network so they can advance with their filing of charges.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa GMA sa pag-aksyong kanilang ginawa sa complaint na idinulog ko: ang tanggalin sa network ang taong aking inakusahan. Yung resulta pa rin po ng imbestigasyon 19 years ago ang aming hihilingin na magkaroon kami ng kopya para magamit namin sa pagbuild up ng case,” he said.
(I thank GMA for acting on the complaint I filed: to relieve the person I accused from his post. I still hope to have a copy of the result of the investigation done 19 years ago so we can use that to build up the case.)
Result of investigation sought
Further, Rommel Ramilo, manager of Santos, responded to a netizen’s question on what kind of resolution the singer is seeking from GMA, from the singer’s Facebook post last Monday. Ramilo said that the network “should have still furnished Gerald with the official result of its investigation, together with the official resolution, so it could have been used in the formal filing of charges.”
“The role of the network DOES NOT END after terminating the accused. If their concern was indeed the victim, they should have helped and supported the victim through psychological and psychiatric support, at least,” he added.
Santos, in the hearing, said that it is not his intention to stain the image of his former television network amid the reports surrounding the alleged crime committed by the network’s former musical director.
“Hindi ko po ito laban against GMA, kung hindi sa mga taong gumagawa ng kahalayan at kasamaan,” he expressed.
(This is not my fight against GMA, but of the people who do evil.)
INQUIRER.net asked for a statement from the GMA network, but has yet to receive a response as of this writing. Previously the network said that it has done what it could within the purview of its power to help Santos with his complaint.
Meanwhile, Tan could not be reached for comment.