Inspired by Katrina Halili, Other Women Victims of Sex Videos Come Out

In her affidavit, Katrina listed as accessories to the crime Herbert “Bistek” Rosario, a woman called Princess, Eric Chua and Vicky Belo “because they have seen the sex videos, they have knowledge of it, they have handled it before it was uploaded to the internet.” She said “they have to be investigated for us to know what happened to the videos after they watched it.”

Rosario and Chua were friends of Kho while Belo is Kho’s former lover.

But in asking for such an investigation, Katrina knew she might also be gambling her career away. “When I decided to fight, I told myself, whatever happens to my career would be fine by me. If I lose, then I’ll just go home to my province and live there.”

From being the sole victim (two other ex-lovers of Kho’s have surfaced and denounced the doctor; there more or less 40 women rumored to be in sex videos he allegedly recorded), Katrina now finds herself the target of mud slinging.

It doesn’t stop there. Weeks since the scandal broke out, she said, Kho and Belo underwent a makeover from being suspects in the video’s uploading to being victims of the scandal themselves.

After Justice

“I’m not after money. I’m after some justice here,” Katrina asserted. “Please don’t believe what they’re saying that I’m asking money from Dr. Vicky Belo.”

She explained that Belo, acknowledged as the “cosmetic doctor to the stars” and owner of the Belo Medical Group, only figured in her affidavit as an accessory because she, much like Rosario, Chua and Princess, “can help explain how the sex videos ended up on the Internet.”

“I intend to fight, win or lose. Whatever happens, at least I knew I have fought for my rights. At least, people are realizing that what was done to me was wrong,” Katrina said.

She is thankful, she said, that more victims are coming out fighting now because of what she did. “Before, victims only slinked away in shame, fearful of their parents and what the people would say,” Katrina said.

She admits to feeling irritated at other group’s criticism of her action, such as the Buhay party-list group’s extolling of Maricar Reyes’s silence as opposed to Katrina’s speaking out. Reyes, a commercial model and now a doctor, also has a sex video with Kho.

“Perhaps she (Maricar) has other reasons for not speaking out against it. We should respect that.” But, Katrina added, “if we behave as if it didn’t happen, there’ll be more victims. I don’t want that to happen again whether to me or to someone else, that’s why I have gambled myself here.”

To those who are saying there is dignity in keeping quiet over the issue, Katrina has this to say: “What if it happened to your sibling or to your daughters?”

“If you keep quiet for life,” she pointed out, “more women will be victimized.”

She asked other victims of sex videos to be strong, “to strive to make those responsible to answer for it.”

Katrina vowed to continue fighting till justice is served. “If it takes long, I am prepared to wait.” And it looks like she won’t be going home to the province just yet. She got a part in GMA-7’s upcoming soap, Rosalinda. “I’m happy to start shooting again,” she said. But she’s limiting her work commitments to give time to the court hearings.

De Jesus of Gabriela said she admires Katrina’s courage, which has inspired other victims to come out.

“Ms. Halili’s courage in the face of her personal ordeal prompted other victims of sex video to come forward,” de Jesus of Gabriela said. “They draw strength from each other and they forge collective action to fight exploitation and abuse of women.”

In the end, de Jesus said, “the best weapon against abuse is public awareness of women’s rights and vigilance to prevent violence against women.” (Bulatlat.com)