Paul Desiderio denies abuse allegations by Agatha Uvero: 'I have never hurt a woman in my life'
PBA player Paul Desiderio has broken his silence after his ex-partner Agatha Uvero accused him of physical and emotional abuse.
The basketball player released his statement on Facebook today, July 14, denying the allegations and claiming that he has "never hurt a woman." Uvero took to Twitter to detail the abuse she suffered on July 13.
"Her social media allegation is unfortunate and sad, and most of all, untrue. I had hoped that we will be civil with each other after our separation, for the sake of our son," Desiderio wrote.
"I vehemently deny her allegations of abuse during our relationship. I have had relationships prior to Ms. Uvero, and I also have a daughter from a previous relationship. I have never hurt a woman, especially not the mother of my child."
The 25-year-old Blackwater shooting guard also said that he will fully cooperate with investigations that the PBA will be conducting: "I am confident that I will be absolved of the accusations hurled against me."
Desiderio added that he will face any complaint against him and sought to clear his name against the "defamation." He closed his statement with an apology to his family, friends, daughter, son, and to his team, Blackwater Elite.
Amidst the allegations, Blackwater Elite issued another statement on the incident after drawing flak from their initial remarks.
"Blackwater condemns any form of violence against women and children... We will look into the allegations against our player and gather the necessary facts and evidences to come out with a solution... We respect the statement released by Ms. Uvero, as well as the privacy of our player during this time," the statement read.
After sharing her alleged abuse experience, Uvero said she spoke her truth, "no falsifications."
"I'll take all the character assassinations and attacks on my reputation as long as I have my freedom back. My son and I are safe," she tweeted on July 13.
I'll take all the character assassinations and attacks on my reputation as long as I have my freedom back 😌 My son and I are safe.
— Jean Agatha (@agathauvero) July 13, 2022
Desiderio and Uvero were engaged in November 2019 and welcomed their first son, Andres, in April 2021. According to the PBA player, they broke up in May 2022.
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If you are, or if you personally know someone being abused during this time of health emergency, don’t hesitate to seek help to stop the abuse.
The PCW has shared important contact details if such abuses were to occur:
POLICE/INVESTIGATION ASSISTANCE
PNP Hotline: 177
Aleng Pulis Hotline: 0919 777 7377
PNP Women and Children Protection Center
24/7 AVAWCD Office: (02) 8532-6690
Email address: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
LEGAL ASSISTANCE
Public Attorney’s Office (PAO)
Hotline: (02) 8929-9436 local 106, 107, or 159 (local “0” for operator), (+62) 9393233665
Email address: [email protected]
REFERRAL SERVICES
Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children
Mobile numbers: 09178671907 | 09178748961
Email address: [email protected]