Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is asking for privacy for his children after the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Act complaint filed against him by his estranged wife, Dominique “Nikki” Lopez Benitez, was dismissed.
“I ask that this matter now be laid to rest, and that innocent individuals, especially my children, be given the privacy to move forward away from this controversy,” Benitez said in a statement on Thursday, July 10.
Benitez also said he welcomed the decision by the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office to dismiss the VAWC complaint for lack of merit.
“After a thorough legal review, the prosecutor found no basis to charge me with economic abuse or psychological violence. The allegations were unsupported by evidence and did not meet the legal standards for criminal prosecution,” he said.
“Throughout this process, I remained silent out of respect for my family and confidence in the legal system. This resolution confirms what I have maintained from the beginning — that the accusations were baseless and malicious,” he added.*