Almost a month since his father Ronaldo Valdez passed away, Janno Gibbs asked the Philippine National Police, especially those directly involved in the mishandling of the investigation of the veteran actor’s death, to issue a public apology.
The actor, in an official statement released on Tuesday, denounced the authorities’ negligence on the probe of his father’s death, including unauthorized video releases which he said caused more pain to his grieving family.
Janno also cried foul over “thoughtless social media posts” from netizens who shared his private information, perpetuated fake news, including those who suggested “that I had a part in my father’s death”.
“Such negligent handling of the investigation, and the consequent media attacks against my family caused us immense emotional distress,” stated Janno.
He added, “We strongly denounce, in the strongest terms possible, the evident mismanagement of the investigation and mishandling of sensitive data showing apparent lapses and breaches of confidentiality on the part of the Investigation Team.
“Such reckless actions of certain individuals in leaking sensitive information are deeply alarming – not just for my family, but for society as a whole.
“We therefore demand that the PNP and the officers directly accountable for the lapses in the investigation make a public apology for the breach of trust and the trauma caused to my family.
Janno, however, stressed that his family decided not to pursue further legal actions against the police officers responsible for leaking the videos online, “to mourn and deal with the pain privately”.
“We were informed that an ongoing investigation is underway against the erring police officers, and we remain optimistic that the PNP and the appropriate government agencies will take the necessary action against those responsible. We trust that the agencies and individuals overseeing the said investigation will be transparent and honest in their reports.
The son of the late Valdez also encouraged the public to be vigilant when sharing videos and photos online.
“We hope that this will also serve as a reminder to the netizens, who have duties to act responsibly online, especially when the posts and videos affect individuals who are still in the midst of grieving,” said Janno.
“With this, we fervently wish that our appeal to the PNP will not fall on deaf ears, allowing us to swiftly bring an end to this regretful chapter of our lives, he added, finally expressing his gratitude “to the people who, instead of immediately judging the situation, sympathized with our family for the loss of my father”.
Earlier this year, Janno called out a netizen criticizing his family’s vacation at a tourist destination in Japan, weeks following his father’s death.
Ronaldo Valdez, or James Ronald Dulaca Gibbs in real life who’s best known for his antagonist and paternal roles in series and film, died on December 17, 2023 at the age of 77.
