Vhong Navarro makes emotional ‘Showtime’ return

MANILA, Philippines – After over a month of being away from the stage, actor Vhong Navarro made a tearful comeback to noon time show Showtime on Saturday, March 8.

Surrounded by his equally emotional co-hosts, Navarro had nothing but words of gratitude for the people who supported him in his ordeal, which began January 22, the day he sustained severe injuries after an alleged mauling incident in the condominium unit of model Deniece Cornejo.

In his speech, Navarro went on to thank his legal team, the officers of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), his ABS-CBN and Showtime colleagues, the public, his family, and God.

Since the incident, conflicting versions of the story have emerged. According to Navarro, he was threatened and beaten up by Cornejo’s friends businessman Cedric Lee and company in an attempt to extort money from him.

Meanwhile, Cornejo and Lee’s camp accused Navarro of raping Cornejo, claiming that the actor was beaten up when caught attempting to rape the 22-year-old model. In recent developments, Cornejo revealed that the comedian allegedly raped her twice – the first time on January 17 and the second time on January 22. Cornejo filed a rape case against Navarro for the alleged January 22 rape incident on January 29.

Adding to his legal woes, Navarro is facing a separate rape case filed by former pageant contestant Roxanne Acosta, who claimed she was raped by the actor in 2010.

In addition to several cases filed by the NBI against Cornejo and Lee, Navarro recently filed perjury and libel cases against them. Similar libel and perjury cases were also filed against Acosta.

‘I just want to make people happy’

“Ang hirap po iparatang sa iyo ang bagay na hindi mo ginawa,” (It’s hard to be accused of something you didn’t do), said Navarro, who went on to share how being a comedian can sometimes be difficult when faced with personal problems.

In his speech, The comedian admitted to being afraid of what he is going through in his life, unsure of whether he can go back to being the playful and cheerful host he was before the incident.

“Hindi ko alam kung magiging ako pa rin ‘yong dating makulit, ‘yong dating masayahin, pero susubukan ko po,” he said. (I don’t know if I can be the old playful and cheerful person, but I will try.)

He went on to say that making people happy is what has kept him strong.

“Yan po ang dahilan kung bakit ako nananatiling matatag para po harapin lahat itong pagsubok na dumadating sa buhay ko. ‘Yan din po ang dahilan kung bakit ako nakakatayo dito sa harapan ninyo. At ‘yon din po ang dahilan kung kaya gustung-gusto ko na magtrabaho, dahil ‘yon po ako, eh, gusto ko lang po magpasaya ng tao,” he said.

(That’s the reason why I remain strong to face all the challenges in my life. That’s also the reason why I am standing here in front of you. That’s the reason why I really wanted to come back to work, because that’s me. I just want to make people happy.)

Comedy comeback

The comedian’s once swollen and heavily bruised face has now healed after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his nose and a month-long stay in the hospital. After he was discharged from the hospital on February 6, he went straight to the Department of Justice to swear on his affidavit.

Despite the heavy tone of his speech, the comedian was able to insert a joke in his message. He thanked his doctors in St. Luke’s Medical Center, however, noting that his nose remains flat even after surgery.

“Siyempre sa aking mga doctor na inalagaan ako sa St. Luke’s, salamat sa inyo especially kay Dok Kurt. Siya po ang gumawa ng ilong ko na hanggang ngayon pango pa rin po. Hindi daw po bagay sa akin ang matangos ang ilong. Salamat Doc Kurt, walang pagbabago, balik sa dati,” he joked, much to the amusement of the audience.

(To my doctors in St. Luke’s who took care of me, thank you, especially to Doc Kurt. He’s the one who fixed my nose, which, up to now, is still flat. He said a sharp nose wouldn’t look good on me. Thank you Doc Kurt, nothing changed, back to the way it was before.)

Co-host Jhong Hilario joined in on the pun, commenting that Navarro’s flat nose suits him best.

“Mas bagay sa’yo ang ganyang ilong. Yan ang minahal ng madlang people.” (That kind of nose suits you better. That’s the nose that the public has come to love.)

A few weeks back, Navarro also joked about the condominium incident in his birthday greeting to co-host Anne Curtis.

Soon after, Navarro bust a move, after the audience urged him to do a sample dance number. – Rappler.com