Deniece Cornejo speaks out against “call girl” rumours; denies being an escort

Deniece Cornejo mug shot

MANILA –Embattled model and alleged rape victim, Deniece Cornejo, who figured in a criminal case after her accusations against actor-host Vhong Navarro worked against her, has denied rumours that she works in the escort service industry.

“I have never been employed in any club as an escort,” Cornejo said in an email to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Cornejo’s statement, issued to the local daily on Saturday, was published on Tuesday. In it, she responded to allegations that she works as a “call girl,” a speculation which began shortly after Malaysian Greg Binunus detailed in his affidavit given to the National Bureau of Investigation that he met Cornejo in a bar.

Binunus was the former tenant of the condominium unit in Taguig City; the same unit in which Navarro was mauled after he was caught in the act of the so-called rape.

Cornejo claimed she met the Malaysian through a customer who purchased goods from her online fashion store.

“I met Mr. Greg through a girl who purchased goods from me. She happened to work at a piano bar. She gave Mr. Greg my number, hoping that he would purchase goods from me in order for her to get a commission,” Cornejo said.

“During my meeting with Mr. Greg, he also discussed his other projects. He mentioned that he was opening a Southeast Asian restaurant … in the Fort and asked me to be an endorser and [to also] help him [in] branding and management since I am a hospitality management student,” she said.

Cornejo explained further that at the time she met the Malaysian, she was on the lookout for a condo unit in or near the Makati area, since most of her work-related affairs were in that vicinity.

She expounded that in the course of the conversation, Binunus mentioned that he used to stay in a unit at Bonifacio Global City, and explained that although he still had two months of rent left on the unit, he decaded to leave after the unit had been robbed.

“I then decided to stay in that unit [on] a short-term basis while looking for a more accessible place in exchange for helping him in his business,” Cornejo said.

Cornejo said that she chose to speak up on the issue to clarify the matter and clear her character, citing that “victim-blaming is a very common practice throughout the world especially for rape victims: ‘She was dressed provocatively. She had a bad reputation. She should have known better than to put herself in that situation,’”.

She also spoke up about the issue surrounding the purchase of her laptop, which became the subject of investigation by the NBI, after they received reports that Cornejo purchased the device along with video editing software in a Quezon City store on Jan. 26. The bureau’s report further stated that Cornejo later asked the condo management to show her the footage taken by their CCTV camera in the guise of helping her find some items which she lost.

Cornejo said the laptop was purchased for her research on rape.

“This is why I bought this laptop, in order to do my research on the matter aside from continuing to do my creative work in fashion and design. I find it hard to believe that buying a laptop with a video-editing software has anything to do with me being raped,” she said.

Cornejo and Navarro slung accusations and counter-accusations at each other; with the former crying rape, and the latter claiming that he was framed, held against his will and mauled for money.

Cornejo alleged that during a visit to her condo unit at Forbeswood Heights in Taguig City on Jan. 22, Navarro attempted to rape her.  She further alleged that businessman Cedric Lee and other friends arrived in time to stop Navarro from carrying out the rape.

For his part, Navarro, accused Lee and the group with him of mauling him and framing him for rape, with the motive of  extorting money from him.