Actor and comedian Archie Alemania has firmly denied the acts of lasciviousness accusations made against him by fellow Kapuso star Rita Daniela.
On December 10, Alemania, accompanied by his legal counsel, submitted his counter-affidavit at the Bacoor Hall of Justice in Cavite as part of the preliminary investigation into the case. The actor categorically rejected the allegations, asserting that he did not harass or insult Rita.
While the details of the affidavit have not been made public, sources from ’24 Oras’ reported that it largely contains denials of the accusations made by Rita. The legal process is ongoing, and the prosecutor’s office is reviewing the submitted documents.
Rita’s lawyer, Atty. Maggie Abraham-Garduque, revealed that they are taking steps to prevent a direct encounter between Rita and Archie due to the psychological impact on the alleged victim. “As her counsel, I also have to protect her mental health. The counsel of Archie is amenable to that,” Atty. Garduque said, explaining the precautions taken.
When asked about Rita’s current emotional state, Atty. Garduque shared that the actress is still struggling. “Actually as of this date, even up to now, she’s not okay,” she stated.
Rita is expected to submit her response to Archie’s counter-affidavit on December 17.
The charges against Archie were filed by Rita on October 30, following an alleged incident on September 9, after she attended a thanksgiving party thrown by their ‘Widows’ War’ co-star, Bea, in Quezon City.
In her complaint affidavit, Rita discussed the difficulty of coming forward with the case due to her status as a public figure but said the trauma caused by the incident gave her the courage to seek justice. “That being a public figure, a contractual artist with reputation to protect, it is very difficult for me to file the instant case but the trauma I was and am experiencing brought about by the incident gave me courage to face the consequences and file the instant case against the respondent,” Rita stated in her affidavit.
