Former professional basketball player Mark Cardona has been arrested over an incident where he allegedly forcibly kissed a woman and assaulted her boyfriend inside a bar in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig.
According to a 22-year-old complainant, the incident occurred in the establishment’s smoking area, where she said she briefly encountered the athlete before he allegedly kissed her without consent.
“We were going to the smoking area, nagkabump kami. I wanted to say sorry, then he kissed me bigla. I was so shocked, hindi ako nakareact agad. Hinatak niya ako, and he kissed me,” the victim recounted, as quoted in ABS-CBN News’ report.
She said she immediately ran to inform her boyfriend about what happened. The victim’s boyfriend then approached the player to confront him, but the situation escalated into a physical altercation.
“Shock na shock siya, na hinalikan siya bigla. Kinonfront ko ‘yung lalaki kahit mas malaki siya. Lasing na lasing na po talaga siya. Pinakamalala doon, hindi lang girlfriend ko ang ginanun niya,” the boyfriend said.
The confrontation reportedly turned violent, leaving the complainant’s partner with an eye injury. The couple later sought assistance from authorities and decided to file formal complaints.
Despite an alleged attempt by the athlete to settle the matter, the couple said they remain firm in pursuing legal action.
“Sabi niya pwede bang bayaran na lang. Sabi ko, ‘Hindi lahat nadadaan sa pera.’ If we allow this to happen, gagawin niya ulit ‘yan sa ibang babae,” the boyfriend said.
An investigation by the Taguig City Police revealed that the suspect had previously faced multiple cases, including alleged violations of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act (VAWC) in 2016 and 2018, as well as a 2021 case involving kidnapping and failure to return a minor, according to Police Captain Ibralen Jain of the Women and Children Protection Section.
In 2018, Cardona was involved in a physical injury case after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his live-in partner. In a previous case, he reportedly faced a case involving alleged estafa and the pawning of a stolen vehicle.
The suspect and his legal counsel declined to issue a statement. He is currently under the custody of the Taguig City Police and is expected to face complaints for acts of lasciviousness and physical injuries.
