Gabby Concepcion's bigamy case trial starts

MANILA, Philippines - Trial on a bigamy case filed against actor Gabby Concepcion before the Manila Regional Trial Court opened Thursday, with the prosecution's presentation of the marriage contract between the actor and actress Sharon Cuneta. The prosecution presented the marriage contract to prove that Concepcion entered into a marriage with Cuneta in 1984 without the dissolution of his earlier marriage with Jennifer Martin. During the trial, Manila Civil Registrar Maria Josefa Encarnacion, presented the original copy of the marriage contract between Concepcion and Cuneta, which was later annulled by a Pasig court. Encarnacion will be subjected to cross examination by Concepcion’s counsel lawyer Ed Flaminiano on next trial scheduled on Thursday. During pretrial last May 22, the prosecution submitted documents for markings, including among others the marriage certificate between Concepcion and Martin dated June 19, 1984. Concepcion - who was at the hearing - had earlier pleaded not guilty to the bigamy charges during his arraignment last April 21 and posted a P24,000 bail for his temporary liberty. The bigamy case stemmed from the complaint of Mamerto dela Cruz, of E. Rodriguez corner Mercury St., Libis, Quezon City. In an amended information, Assistant City Prosecutor Manuel B. Sta. Cruz Jr., said “that on July 23, 1984, Concepcion, being then legally married to Jennifer Martin, and without such marriage, having been legally dissolved, did then and there willfully unlawfully and feloniously contract a second or subsequent marriage with one Sharon Cuneta." A separate case of falsification of public document against Concepcion is pending with the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court. Judge Rodriguez ordered that the falsification of public document be returned to the Office of the Executive Judge, through Clerk of Court of RTC Manila, for proper disposition, stressing that the court has no jurisdiction to try the case pursuant to Section 32 of Batas Pambansa 129 as amended by Republic Act No. 7691 for expanded jurisdiction to the lower court. Branch clerk of court Florentino Mercado Jr. said the court set the arraignment of Concepcion on April 30, 2008. He did not give further details of the case which was archived since Concepcion left the country in 1995. Concepcion arrived in the country on March 30, 2008 after spending several years in the United States. The following day, he posted P6,000 bail with the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) in connection with his falsification of public documents case. Flaminiano said the “falsification of public document through omission" was slapped against Concepcion because of the supposedly an “ante-date" in the entry of his application for a marriage license with the Manila Civil Registry.- GMANews.TV