The Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially filed criminal charges of rape and sexual assault against former television consultants Jojo Tawasil Nones and Richard Dode Cruz following allegations made by actor Sandro Muhlach.

Acting Attorney General Richard Anthony Fadullon confirmed that charges were filed based on Muhlach’s detailed account and positive identification of the defendant. “Based on the investigation conducted by our prosecutor, it appears that there is a definitive positive identification by the victim of the two individuals who abused him, and he thoroughly narrated the details of what happened to him,” Fadullon said in a statement.

Fadullon noted that while the defendants’ only defense was denial, the weight of the positive identification made by the victim and her detailed account of the incident played a significant role in the prosecutor’s decision. “We know that, in law, positive identification is the strongest form of proof and denial alone is the weakest,” he added.

Attorney Maggie Garduque, representing Nones and Cruz, said they would issue an official response after reviewing the DOJ’s decision and the basis for the charges.

During Senate hearings earlier this month, Muhlach identified Nones and Cruz as her alleged abusers, detailing that the incident occurred on July 20, the night of the GMA Gala. Muhlach testified that the accused provided him with wine and P500 before presenting him with a “white substance” on a table, and allegedly instructed him how to use it.

The actor claimed that both men dragged him to the bed and assaulted him.

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