For the past several days, the attention of many Filipinos have been captured by the mauling incident involving actor Vhong Navarro last January 22, 2014 at a condominium unit of a model named Deniece Cornejo. From the time the news broke out, the public has been treated with installments of allegations and counter allegations from both sides. For the actor, it was a case of extortion and serious illegal detention. For the model, it was initially a case of attempted rape which eventually was changed to the more serious crime of rape.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/red11group

As both sides get busy hurling dirt at each other, there is one important thing that we should remember here. This incident, the root of which clearly involves only the two contending parties, has already claimed a collateral damage - the families of these two people who got into more trouble than they originally signed up for. Yes, the family that all of us vow to protect at all cost is always the first casualty when we purposely choose to place ourselves in risky situations.

There are at least three very blatant effects of scandalous trouble on family:

Safety Becomes a Real Issue

When trouble of this nature arises, it becomes necessary to protect family members especially the children. Their movements will be highly restricted to protect them from possible physical harm or unsavory remarks of the public. In extreme situations where clear and present danger is involved, they will have to be hidden and their whereabouts kept secret, putting to an abrupt halt the life they were living before trouble came.

The Loss of Privacy

The two were relatively doing good in keeping the privacy of their respective families even while having a very public life. The incident changed that and made the public extremely curious of them. Everyone wanted to know who the cheated girlfriend was and what kind of parents raised the alleged rape victim. Their social media accounts were being examined and all available photos and information are being flashed  in the Internet. It was as if they were being tried alongside the two main parties to this case.

Suffering in Public

This is especially true for public figures but families of very private persons eventually suffer the same fate when a sensational case like this arises. The pressure to show support  for the family member in trouble can be too much if the pain inflicted is personal such as infidelity. Imagine the feeling of a girlfriend who found out about the cheating through this incident and the feelings of parents of a girl whose morals are being put into question in a very public way. 

My Say

I have no doubts that this story will have more surprises in the coming days but I'm sure like all other sensational cases that came before, it will eventually die down to make way for more current scandals. But as we, the observing public watch these people do their motions, we must not forget that we can easily find ourselves in the same boat if we are not careful. Trouble beckons to our weaknesses and not to our strengths where it will not stand a chance.

That said, what can we all learn from the curious case of Vhong Navarro? It is the fact that trouble is everywhere but there are those which we can prevent from happening if we just listen more closely to our conscience. This particular incident could have been prevented but the actor came back for another day knowing perfectly well what he was going into, minus the mauling of course. The reason or motive, if you please, as to why the girl chose to "invite" Vhong in particular will hopefully be revealed in time. I'm guessing that she spotted the actor's weakness (women) and used it against him to answer for her own weakness (your guess is as good as mine). It does not help that her defender apparently has a reputation for violence that precedes him.

Let us remember that when we get into trouble, it will be our loved ones who will suffer the most. What is ironic is that they are expected to stand by us no matter what. Let us not make it difficult for them to do so by choosing our battles wisely.