Entertainment websites are currently flooded with reports about Gretchen Fullido and her current legal battle against two news executives who she accused of sexual harassment.
Fullido said that Cheryl Favila, former supervising producer of TV Patrol, and Maricar Asprec, segment producer for the same show, allegedly “sent her text messages that were loaded with sexual innuendos, which amounted to requests for sexual favors,” which the other camp has strongly denied.
Fullido’s case isn’t something new in the Philippine entertainment industry as many actresses came out of the shadow to bravely reveal sexual assaults that they had experienced.
1 Sunshine Cruz
Actress Sunshine Cruz’s marriage from estranged husband Cesar Montano recently got annulled, but before the court ruled its decision, Cruz revealed that she went through a lot during her “dark and chaotic” marriage with her ex-husband.
It can be recalled that Cruz filed a lawsuit against Montano after she claimed that he raped her on May 12, 2013, Mother’s Day. The rape case is still not resolved and remains docketed at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, where it awaits judgment.
Aside from rape, she said that she also experience domestic abuse from Montano. She said that there were three instances of physical abuse – one in July 2009, a second in January 2013, and a third in May 2013.
2 Julia Clarete
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Former “Eat Bulaga” host Julia Clarete was one of the actresses who claimed of being sexually harassed by Baron Geisler.
Clarete said in an interview back in 2011 that she decided to downplay the issue and to not talk about it because she already felt like she was at a disadvantage that time.
“Kasi naman, maski nung nabiktima ako ni Baron, parang ang dami-daming mga write-ups, na kung anu-ano nang sinabi [ni Baron] tungkol sa akin. Na hindi naman yata tama, na dada siya nang dada! Nabastos na nga ako, magpapabastos pa ba ako [lalo]?” Clarete said.
The former EB Dabarkad said opened up that Geisler touched her inappropriately on the rear and the chest.
“Kasi, it’s for me also. I should not have put myself in a position where I will be compromised. Pero you don’t know rin when someone is gonna do something bad to you, especially if you’re a good person and you mean well,” she said.
3 Rhian Ramos
In 2016, Kapuso actress Rhian Ramos revealed in a lengthy Instagram post that she was a victim of sexual harassment after a man groped her rear when she attended a party.
“I always used to think of myself as a strong enough girl that if the day ever came that someone would do this to me, I’d fight back. Honestly, it’s different when you’re already in that situation. I was stunned and didn’t know what to do. Naiyak lang ako,” she narrated.
“This wasn’t something I was willing to let go. I couldn’t understand why a man would feel the entitlement to touch a woman without her consent. To take something from her by force. I was in slacks and a loose top. At no point did I even make eye contact with this man. What did I do to ask for this?” she said.
Because of the incident, she decided to give out free pepper spray to women at MRT-3 Ayala Station on Valentine’s Day of 2017 to help them protect themselves.
4 Maggie Wilson
Former beauty queen Maggie Wilson said that she also had an unpleasant experience when she went to Sanya, China to represent the Philippines in the Miss World 2007 pageant.
In an interview with PEP.ph back in 2010, Wilson revealed that she was physically harassed by one of the Chinese sponsors of the pageant.
“When I was competing in China, I was physically harassed by our sponsors. Hinawakan yung puwet ko, tapos yung ibang girls, dinakma ang boobs! Siyempre, hindi nilabas sa press kasi nasa kontrata ko, bawal.
“Chinese sponsors sila, isang malaking kumpanya. Nabastos ako. Ay, sinampal ko talaga siya, ‘no! Yung humawak sa akin. Sabi ko, ‘Don’t touch me!’ Ginanun ko siya,” she said.
5 Cherrie Pie Picache
Veteran actress Cherrie Pie Picache filed a sexual harassment case against actor Baron Geisler after the latter was accused of touching her breast during the taping of their television series back in 2011.
Entertainment news stated that Geisler was under the influence of alcohol when he decided to grope Picache.
Picache’s talent manager, Ed Instrella, sent a statement to ABS-CBN saying they decided to file a sexual harassment complaint “to help provide, and implement policies to discipline violators and to protect actors as well as production staff members from the same juvenile action.”
Geisler, on the other hand, denied the charges saying that he will never do such thing since he sees Picache as his own mother.
