Actor Tony Labrusca faces lewd acts, physical injuries complaints

Two counts of acts of lasciviousness were filed against actor Tony Labrusca on Friday at the Office of the City Prosecutor of Makati City for allegedly molesting a woman while under the heavy influence of alcohol.

According to a statement, the victim said Labrusca molested her twice on January 16 by “flicking her spaghetti straps to expose her breasts” and pulling her to sit on his lap.

The victim is said to be the friend of businessman Drake Dustin Ibay, a witness in the case.

Ibay’s brother also filed a criminal complaint for aggravated physical injuries against Labrusca after Labrusca allegedly choked him after helping him go down the stairs.

The complainant’s lawyer, Atty. Regie Tongol, said Labrusca was seen by four witnesses to have “actively sought alcohol to embolden himself.”

“[T]hat is why the charges were aggravated by his intentional intoxication,” Tongol said in a separate statement.

The Office of the City Prosecutor will hear the complaint and decide whether the information will be filed against Labrusca in court.

“Mr. Labrusca being a public figure and a foreigner must learn not to be abusive of women. My clients hope that this case would encourage women and anyone who have been victims of abuses by public figures… to not be afraid to stand up and be heard,” Tongol said.

Meanwhile, Labrusca's lawyer, Atty. Joji Alonso, said that they had been informed of the complaints, but they had not yet received copies of the complaint-affidavits and were thus not in a position to comment on the matter.

"We call the public to be mindful of casting judgment based on mere allegations and unfounded claims," said Alonso in an Instagram post. — DVM, GMA News