March 1 - 15, 2019
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
21
Happy
Birthday
Sophie Bella!
Apple and Sarah, with family,
celebrated Princess Sophie Bella’s
2nd birthday on March 2 in
Richmond. Princess Sophie Bella
has grown as a beautiful little girl.
(Photos by Apple)
Taguig fiscal dismisses qualified theft charge,
recommends estafa vs Falcis
The Taguig City Prosecutor’s
Office has found probable cause to
charge actress Kris Aquino’s business
partner, Nicardo Falcis II, with estafa
for allegedly misappropriating and
converting a credit card entrusted to
him for his own personal expenses.
In a resolution dated Feb. 11,
Assistant State Prosecutor Clair
Eufracia
Pagayanan
dismissed
the charge of qualified theft filed
by Aquino against Falcis and
recommended the filing of estafa
through
misappropriation
and
conversion against the respondent. A
copy of the resolution was released to
the media on Wednesday.
Pagayanan also recommended
the filing of a case of violation of
Republic Act No. 8484 or the Access
Devices Regulation Act against Falcis
for allegedly “obtaining money or
anything of value through the use
of an access device, with intent to
defraud or with intent to gain and
fleeing thereafter.”
She said Aquino’s camp failed
to establish the elements of qualified
theft or the existence of a “personal
property which was taken either from
Aquino or KCAP (Kristina C. Aquino
Productions).”
“A careful scrutiny of the
allegations would show that there is
enough evidence to engender a well-
founded belief that Falcis converted
the corporate credit card extended
to him much to the damage and
prejudice of Aquino and KCAP,” the
resolution read.
In 2016, Falcis started working
for Aquino as managing director of the
KCAP, which produces digital content
for the actress’ social media pages
and blogs and promotes Aquino’s
brand product partners.
Aquino entrusted Falcis with
the finances of KCAP and its daily
operations such as the hiring of
employees and the engagement of
suppliers for media-production.
She authorized the issuance of
a Banco de Oro Visa gold corporate
credit card under Falcis’ name with
a credit limit of P2 million for KCAP-
related expenses.
In July, Aquino said she had
discovered unauthorized transactions
reflected on Falcis’ credit card and
learned Falcis continued using the
corporate credit card for his personal
purchases until August.
Falcis apologized to Aquino,
delivered a check to her in the amount
of P437,595.67 to settle the issue,
and flew to Bangkok, Thailand.
Last November, Aquino filed
criminal charges against Falcis for
using a credit card entrusted to him
by the actress for his own personal
expenses instead of KCAP-related
transactions.
Regi Ponferrada, Falcis’ legal
counsel, said they will file a motion
for reconsideration and file a petition
for review before the Department of
Justice.
“We believe this is an unjust
decision. Morever, last November
2018, we filed a motion for
inhibition and to refer the case to the
Department of Justice because of
certain circumstances that have led
us to lose faith and confidence in the
impartiality of the Office of the City
Prosecutor of Taguig City,” he said,
adding the prosecutor did not act on
their motion.
Aquino, meanwhile, is facing
charges of grave threat before the
Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for
allegedly berating and threatening the
life of Falcis.
Falcis had earlier said Aquino
called him and threatened him.
The actress filed a counter-
affidavit last Feb. 22. (E. Orias,
Malaya)
KathNiel have decided not to accept projects together in 2019
Kathryn Bernardo revealed that
she and boyfriend Daniel Padilla have
agreed not to do any projects togeth-
er for 2019.
She made the statement
through an open letter which Preview
magazine published online on Tues-
day.
Its release also coincided with
the announcement that Bernardo will
be doing a movie with GMA-7 star Al-
den Richards this year.
“Of course, there’s no way I
can talk about growth without men-
tioning DJ because he’s a big part of
what makes me who I am today. He’s
played a crucial role in helping me
become not only a better actress but
also a better person,” she began.
“Some of you might already be
aware of this, but late last year, we
made a mutual decision to not accept
projects together this 2019,” the ac-
tress added.
While admitting it will be tough
for the both of them, Bernardo assured
their supporters that “we really gave it
some thought, and while there’s noth-
ing we want more than to make you
happy, we’d appreciate if you can give
us this year to pursue our individual
growth this time around.”
The actress also admitted that
the idea somehow scares them but
this is one way for them to discover
what kind of opportunities await them
in this journey.
“Needless to say, DJ and I will
still be here; I will always have his back
in the same way that I know he always
has mine. It’s just that, in the mean-
time, we want to support each other
off-cam,” she said.
Having been in showbiz for quite
a while now, Bernardo said one thing
she has learned is the constant need
to evolve.
“I’ve seen stars rise and fall,
and more often than not, the greatest
tragedy is when they choose to live in
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
a box,” she said.
Towards the latter part of her
open letter, Bernardo said she has
also learned to take a leap of faith
sometimes and trust in the process.
(abs-cbn news)