Actor Niño Muhlach became emotional as he testified before the Senate committee on public information and mass media about the alleged abuse suffered by his son, Sandro Muhlach.
The hearing was led by Senator Robin Padilla, with Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla also in attendance.
Niño Muhlach expressed deep anguish and frustration over the alleged sexual abuse of his son by two GMA Network independent contractors, Jojo Tawasil Nones and Richard Dode Cruz. The incident has become a high-profile case, drawing significant media attention.
During his testimony, Niño revealed that the abuse occurred despite his professional relationship with Nones, the head writer for the GMA Network sitcom ‘Walang Matigas na Pulis sa Matinik na Misis,’ in which Niño also starred.
“Para makita mo ang anak mo na nangingingig at hindi halos mahawakan ang telepono niya, nu’ng ikinukuwento sa akin ang ginawa sa kanya lalo na si Jojo Nones po na katrabaho ko, sobrang galang ko sa kanya, sobrang respeto sa kanya. Kapag may events kami, ako pa lumalapit sa kanya, Sir Jojo pa nga tawag ko sa kanya kaya talagang hindi ko matanggap na ginawa niya sa anak ko,” Niño said, his voice breaking.
He also expressed his anger towards Cruz, whom he only came to know through this incident. “Ang isa ‘di ko na naman kilala. Ngayon ko lang nakilala nang nangyari ang insidente. Sobrang sama ng loob ko kay Jojo Nones,” he added.
Niño highlighted the broader implications of the case, noting that if such abuse could happen to a family well-established in the industry, it could happen to anyone, especially new artists. “Nakakasama ng loob kung kayang gawin sa, di ko naman…ang talagang malaking kontribusyon sa industriyang ito, what more sa iba, what more sa baguhan? ‘Di ko sinasabing may ginawa silang iba pero kung kaya nilang…sa isang pamilya na may pundasyon sa industriyang ito what more sa iba?”
Adding to his frustration was the response from Nones and Cruz, who he felt were twisting the situation and further traumatizing his son. “Tapos ngayon binabaligtad pa ang sitwasyon? Di ko sinasabing GMA. Binabaligtad ni Jojo at ni Richard ang nangyari sa mga comment nila sa mga press release nila. Nakakasama ng loob, kung sino may sala, yan pa ang may ganang bumaligtad sa istorya. Kahit sinong ama o magulang ganoon din mararamdaman para kay Sandro,” Niño said emotionally.
Nones and Cruz did not attend the hearing. Their legal counsel, Atty. Maggie Abraham-Garduque, stated that their absence was due to the potential questioning during the hearing, which could be equivalent to a cross-examination during the trial.
