Sex, lies and videotape

No, this is not an homage to the Palme d’Or Best Picture win at the Cannes Film Festival. The title is most appropriate to use for the current Philippine showbiz scandal. The aggrieved party is a scion from a showbiz clan: Sandro Muhlach, eldest son of former child star turned character actor Niño Muhlach and Edith Millare.

The element of sex is prominent in the allegation of a forced and unwanted tryst. Lies, and their many mutations — falsehoods, fabrications and fake news — are all consumed by the aroused and curious.

Videotape? In this day and age of tech-savvy, intelligent online experts and artificial intelligence, nothing is impossible.

This real-life drama has become a more riveting watch and can eclipse all the GMA Network shows currently airing on television.

What started as a blind item is now a fast and furious developing story. It questions the morality and sincerity of the tagline believed by many to be the sacred vow of the network: “Walang kinikilingan. Walang pinoprotektahan. Walang kasinungalingan. Serbisyong totoo lamang (Impartial. No protection. No lies. Only true service).”

From the official statement of GMA-7, the personalities who allegedly committed a grave act against the 23-year-old Sandro Muhlach are Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, described in the statement as “independent contractors.”

In the GMA-7 official statement, it said: “Respecting Sandro’s request for confidentiality, the investigating body will withhold all details of the formal investigation until its conclusion.”

It also said: “The Network assures the public and all stakeholders of its commitment to conducting the investigation with the highest standards of fairness and impartiality.”

As of press time, the duo being accused are “suspended” and cannot take on any projects. Their legal counsel, Attorney Maggie Garduque, requests that the public refrain from making false assumptions and from accepting all information circulated on social media as accurate.

The father of young Sandro Muhlach, Angelo Jose (Niño Muhlach’s real name), has already visited the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office, seeking their assistance and filing a formal complaint.

There is an urgency to know the outcome of the administrative investigation. The legal counsel for Nones and Cruz will definitely receive a formal complaint and will be given the opportunity to address it as part of the due process.

Questions

The questions that need answers are:

The independent contractors’ status of Nones and Cruz — what does this mean? If they have no formal employer-employee relationship with the work, what is the point of them being suspended rather than being fired?

What prompted the two to invite young Mr. Muhlach to their hotel room?

Why did Muhlach acquiesce to the invitation from the duo?

When Muhlach learned that there were only three people in the room, did he not suspect anything odd about the situation or a potential setup?

Why did he not bring a companion, such as his girlfriend? What about his handler or road manager — were they present at the gala? Did Sandro ask for their permission?

Muhlach is 23 years old, no longer a minor, of voting age and a seemingly intelligent young man. Thus, it makes many wonder: Is this a classic case of naiveté, blindly trusting others and not having any inkling of suspicion because he respected and thought highly of the men now regarded as his aggressors?

The plot thickens

As expected, the harshest judgment has already been given to Nones and Cruz. Netizens and moralists alike have already crucified them. No amount of plea from their legal counsel can change or stop the onslaught of unfavorable words thrown at her clients.

Former GMA-7 artist Gerald Santos said on his official Facebook page: “Ang dami nagme-message, nagta-tag sa akin about this issue. Nagbalik ang sakit sa akin at hindi ko maiwasan maluha to imagine ang sinapit niya. My heart goes out to Sandro and the whole Muhlach family. I was once in this situation but back then wala kang boses, walang social media. Unlike ngayon na nagkaroon na ng #MeToo movement (There are so many messages and tags about this issue. The pain has returned to me, and I can’t help but tear up imagining what he went through. My heart goes out to Sandro and the whole Muhlach family. I was once in this situation, but back then, you had no voice and no social media. Unlike now, when there is already the #MeToo movement). But I will hold my head up high for standing up amidst tremendous pressure to just let go of what happened. I hope he gets the justice I was once denied.”

With Santos expressing his support for Muhlach, it is probable that other “victims” might break their silence and share their experiences. However, they will likely face significant cynicism and accusations of “clout chasing” and “fame whoring,” along with the most insulting question of all: Why are they only coming forward now?

The backlash against the gay community is another apparent consequence. Although this may not be considered an isolated case — since there are countless tales of men who aspired to stardom and were rumored to have used such means to achieve it — such stories have already achieved urban legend status.

For all the success stories and respected members of the LGBTQ+ community, an incident like this provokes the wrath of bigots, conservatives and moralists. We all know the drill of hearing Bible quotes that condemn homosexuality and receiving scornful looks filled with anger and disdain; it is truly unsettling.

When the truth about Sandro Muhlach is made public, we hope that we can handle it and that this saga of sex, lies and videotape finally gets not just a period but an exclamation point!