“We strongly condemn the malicious and defamatory public statements of Ms. Fermin.”
Dominic Roque has broken his silence and responded to the allegations made against him by veteran entertainment host Cristy Fermin, describing the latter’s statements as “defamatory,” “baseless,” and “malicious.”
In a statement coursed through his legal team at Fernandez and Singson Law Offices, the 33-year-old actor cried foul over Fermin’s accusations that she claimed publicly through her social media vlogs.
“These defamatory statements were made by Ms. Fermin under the guise of entertainment news without any effort from her to confirm the same from Mr. Dominic Roque,” the statement opened.
Roque’s camp first clarified that the innuendos linking the actor with Dapitan City Mayor Bullet Jalosjos were utterly false.
“In fact, the malicious and baseless innuendos were quickly picked up by social media netizens, several of whom even uploaded a photo of Dapitan City Mayor Bullet Jalosjos, without his knowledge and consent. There is absolutely no truth to these malicious innuendos,” the statement said, referring to Fermin’s allegations that Mayor Jalosjos is Dominic’s “benefactor” and the owner of the condominium unit where the actor resides.
In the statement, Roque’s legal team explained that the Dapitan City statesman is his longtime friend, and that he is indeed “leasing the unit owned by Mayor Jalosjos.”
“He is embarrassed and apologizes to Mayor Bullet Jalosjos and his family for being dragged into the public conversation because of the malicious defamatory public innuendos of Ms. Fermin,” it continued.
Roque's camp also denied fervently all of Fermin’s claims that associate him with Quezon City lawmaker Bong Suntay.
“In a separate vlog, Ms. Fermin made a malicious defamatory statement that former Congressman Bong Suntay is one of the suspected benefactors of Mr. Dominic Roque. By making such a statement, Ms. Fermin made the innuendo that unreasonably casts doubt on the sexuality of former Congressman Bong Suntay.”
“Again, Mr. Roque would like to apologize to former Congressman Bong Suntay and his family for the embarrassment caused by the deplorable innuendos made by Ms. Fermin,” it read.
Shedding light on his celebrity status and the propensity for the public to chime in on personal matters, the actor said he “acknowledges that as celebrities, a segment of his life is open to public discussion for being matters of general interest, specifically entertainment news.”
Dominic, however, immediately threw light on the importance of responsible journalism and free speech.
“However, mainstream media and independent vloggers alike are not given unbridled license in exercising free speech or freedom of the press. We have laws that exist to protect the integrity and honor of individuals against public, malicious, and defamatory statements,” the statement said.
“Ms. Fermin acted outside the bounds of protected free speech and intentionally caused damage to the integrity and honor of the affected individuals,” it added.
Finally, Dominic’s camp cleared the air concerning his and former fiancée Bea Alonzo’s alleged disagreement over a prenuptial agreement.
“To set the record straight, Mr. Dominic Roque and Ms. Bea Alonzo never fought nor had a disagreement over a prenuptial agreement. Reckless statements relating to the alleged disagreement over a prenuptial agreement between them are, not only unverified, but merely based on speculations intended to produce a negative image on the parties concerned,” it concluded.
Bea and Dominic announced on February 11, 2024 that they have put an end to their almost-three-year relationship.