Princess Revilla accused of mauling her housemaid

Former actress Princess Revilla, who is accused of maltreating her housemaid, on Monday filed her counter-affidavit in the Pasig Regional Trial Court.
But Revilla, Rebecca Bautista-Ocampo in real life, failed to submit one of the attachments to her counter-affidavit despite a five-day extension granted to her by the Pasig Prosecutor’s Office last week.
This drew a protest from the prosecution who said that the court should have strictly implemented the deadline it earlier imposed on Revilla’s camp.
Revilla, sister of Senator Bong Revilla, is being accused of mauling her housemaid, Renalyn Arota.
Irene Alogoc, Arota’s lawyer, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Revilla was supposed to present her two other maids, Cleofe Salceda and Marina Marbella, as her witnesses.
Their affidavits should have been submitted and attached to Revilla’s affidavit in time for the deadline of filing Monday but Revilla’s lawyers was not able to attach Marbella’s statements, telling the court that it will submit the same on August 4.
Festijo said the court should have strictly imposed the deadline. The filing of the additional affidavit next week, she said, is, in effect, another extension.
“We hope that there will be no preferential treatment on the basis of what happened in today’s hearing,” Festijo said Monday.
Festijo and Alogoc also lamented that the Revilla camp veered away from the schedule of the hearing, opting to file their counter-affidavit at 11 a.m. instead of the scheduled preliminary investigation at 2 p.m.
“We still have faith that the prosecutor will still maintain neutrality in the face of the powerful personalities involved as well as the prestigious law firm behind them,” said Festijo.