Taguig police files raps vs condo security Vhong case

MANILA, Philippines – The Taguig City Police filed on Wednesday, February 5, charges of obstruction of justice against Mega Force Security Agency and its personnel in connection with the controversial Vhong Navarro incident at the Forbeswood Heights condominium.

In the complaint filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Taguig by Sr Supt Arthur Felix Esquillo Asis, acting chief of police at the Taguig City Police Station, said the Mega Force Security Agency “failed and refused to cooperate” with police investigators in their efforts to gather evidence and documents to be used in the probe.

The agency’s actions were said to have violated Presidential Decree No. 1829, which “penalizes the obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders” as well as The Private Security Agency Law.

Mega Force officers named in the complaint were Roderick E. Garbin, Jeffrey Veniegas, Maximo Abuda Maregildo, Romeo Nevado Jr., and several John Does.

According to the complaint, Mega Force Security officer Veniegas told police investigators that the condominium’s security personnel are under orders by the building administration to not divulge information to anyone, even the police.

A day after the initial investigation, police returned to Forbeswood to obtain an official statement from Veniegas, but according to the complaint, Veniegas “vehemently denied” that the incident occurred.

The complaint detailed several of the agency’s violations, particularly their failure to report the incident to authorities, non-cooperation with authorities, and the act of “concealing any document with the intent to impair availability of evidence in any investigation.”

“Evidence may have been ruined or tainted, which would include the contamination of the crime scene,” read the complaint.

Conflicting stories of the incident have emerged. According to model Deniece Cornejo, actor Vhong Navarro attempted to rape her in her Forbeswood condominium unit on the evening of January 22. Navarro denied the allegations, saying he was a victim of extortion and was beat-up and threatened by 6 men in Cornejo’s condominium.

In recent developments, Navarro, who sustained severe injuries in the incident, was discharged from the hospital on February 6. Following his discharge, the actor headed to the DOJ to swear on the veracity of his story.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has taken over the case and has obtained the condominium’s CCTV footage from the night of the incident, which they said appear to support Navarro’s story.

Contrary to claims by Cornejo’s camp, a recent investigation by the NBI showed that the condominium was in “good condition, with no destroyed furniture,” according to a report by ABS-CBN. In addition, the NBI found blood stains on the sofa. – Rappler.com