Philippine Asian News Today Vol 21 No 5 | Page 21

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)