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Tuesday, January 28, 2003
Corteza hopes to be cleared of adultery raps
By Marianne L. Saberon
BACK-to-back Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medallist Lee Vann Corteza is hopeful he will be cleared of adultery charges filed against him at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office last Thursday due to lack of evidence.
"Wala silang tunay na ebidensiya laban sa akin (They don't have a strong evidence against me)," Corteza told Sun.Star Davao in a phone interview Monday afternoon.
The charges were filed against the Davao City-born RP billiards team member Corteza on the heels of his alleged affair with married woman Gelia Abadicio.
The complainant is Chris Abadicio who claims he was married to Gelia on September 7, 1995.
Corteza, who has acquired the services of a Manila lawyer, said, "Huli ko na nang malaman na may asawa siya (Gelia). Hindi ko talaga alam sa simula. Naaawa ako sa babae kasi wala siyang matakbuhan (It was only lately that I found out she has a husband. I never knew it from the start. I pity her because she had nowhere to go)."
He said the woman's birth certificate was tampered with prior to the wedding.
"Dinaya ang birth certificate niya. Wala ring approval sa parents niya ang nangyaring kasal sa Panabo. Sige lang, lilitaw din ang katotohanan. Magkikita-kita na lang kami sa korte (Her birth certificate was tampered with and their wedding in Panabo did not have the approval of her parents. The truth shall prevail. We'll just see each other in court), " said the 22-year-old Corteza.
He is not 25 as erroneously reported by a national broadsheet. He is turning 23 on March 1 yet.
Corteza said he is waiting for the warrant arrest to be served to him before posting bail of P12,000.
The bemedalled cue artist allayed fears of his fans, saying, "Don't worry. We'll get past this storm. My boss and lawyer assured me. They told me not to be afraid."
Meantime, Corteza's training continues despite the looming challenge that lies ahead of him. He is eyeing a slot in the country's delegation to the Vietnam SEA Games in December.
(January 28, 2003 issue)
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