GK founder Tony Meloto breaks silence on sexual abuse allegations

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse.

Gawad Kalinga founder Antonio "Tony" Meloto shut down the accusations that he had sexually abused two former beneficiaries of the foundation.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Meloto responded to the affidavit of the two boys filed in November alleging that he had committed acts of lasciviousness, sexual harassment, and human trafficking.

"Parang telenovela nga. Natatawa ako kasi it required a lot of imagination to come up with a fabrication, and I suspect somebody must have really written it for them," he said.

He described the issue as a "well-orchestrated demolition job" against him while asserting that he has never betrayed his wife.

"I have never been unfaithful to my wife of 36 years. I have never had sex with anyone, never kissed another man or had oral or anal sex," he said.

Meloto also claimed that many of the boys' classmates in GK's compound would attest that the allegations were fabricated.

Despite this, Meloto said that he won't be taking legal action in response to his complainants, who have the aliases "Daniel" and "Michael," as he believes they are innocent.

The Department of Justice previously approved the filing of two counts of violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 against Meldoto, with the resolution stating that he had exerted psychological coercion “to be able to control the complaining victims.”

At the time, Meloto and the witnesses he listed in his counter-affidavit denied the accusations, calling them "baseless, false, malicious, and improperly filed."

According to its website, GK was founded in 2003, though its work started in 1995. The organization said it's "dedicated to [eradicating] poverty and [restoring] human dignity."

Meloto is no longer a GK board member for several years.

In 2006, Meloto was the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, dubbed the Nobel Peace Prize of Asia, for his work at GK.