Bea Alonzo’s camp to meet former driver in mediation conference over labor complaint

Photo: Nelson Canlas

Bea Alonzo’s camp is scheduled to meet the actress’s former driver, who filed a complaint against her through the National Labor Relations Commission, in a conciliation-mediation conference on Wednesday.

According to the complaint, a copy of which was provided to GMA News Online by Alonzo’s legal counsel Atty. Joey Garcia, the driver is one Efren Delos Reyes Jr.

Delos Reyes complained over nightshift differential pay, overtime pay, holiday pay, 13th month pay, illegal dismissal, maltreatment, harassment, and payment of separation pay.

Garcia said Alonzo received a physical copy of the complaint on June 25.

In a statement released on Sunday, Garcia said the timing of the driver’s complaint is “highly suspect.”

“Since he was made a witness to one of the respondents among the criminal cases we filed not to mention him being a lover as admitted, then the intent behind said filing & the timeliness of such filing are too obvious not to be noticed,” he said.

In May, Bea filed three separate criminal cases for cyber libel at the Quezon City Prosecutors Office against Cristy Fermin, Ogie Diaz, and their co-hosts in their respective online programs.

According to a “24 Oras” report by Nelson Canlas, the actress also filed a case against an “online basher” pretending to be close to her.

Garcia confirmed that Delos Reyes is the lover of this “online basher.”

“His acknowledgment of being involved as a lover clearly magnifies his bias and undermines his credibility which yet again puts into question or doubt the true intent behind his & her lover-respondent’s legal maneuvers,” he added.

GMA News Online has reached out to Delos Reyes for a reaction, but he refused to comment on the issue.

“For the record, Mr. Delos Reyes only served as service driver of the family and only for a short period of 3 months, he was not even assigned as Bea’s personal driver, for her professional engagements. Thus, his claims seem farfetched, unreasonable, if not unrealistic,” Garcia said.

“It’s nothing but a pure harassment case, a desperate attempt to sponge off, an obvious act capitalizing on the criminal case.”

In her cyber libel complaint, Alonzo said she was the victim of false, malicious, and damaging information from someone who pretended to be close to her, which was published and discussed on Fermin and Diaz's online shows without any basis.

This included the alleged successive insults to the actress in their columns and shows, as well as the issue of her allegedly not paying the correct tax.

—with a report from Jade Veronique Yap/LA, GMA Integrated News

This article Bea Alonzo’s camp to meet former driver in mediation conference over labor complaint was originally published in GMA News Online.