In an emotional interview with Toni Gonzaga on Toni Talks on Oct. 26, singer Jona Viray revealed for the first time that she was a victim of sexual abuse by her father when she was 10 years old.
“Alam mo ate, dati tinawag nila akong Fearless Diva, pero ngayon ko lang naintindihan kung bakit,” Jona said in the episode titled The Childhood Secret Jona Tried To Hide For Many Years. “Nung bata ako…10 years old ako noon, naging biktima ako ng molestya mula sa tatay ko. Walang nakakaalam. Ni kapatid ko, mga kamag-anak ko kasi ayoko nang maalala. Ngayon I feel fearless kasi kaya ko nang ibahagi yung journey ko.”
The 35-year-old singer said she finally understood the title “fearless diva,” which fans gave her early in her career.
“May purpose pala kung bakit ako tinawag na Fearless Diva before. Now I feel fearless and strong enough to share my journey from the past na for a long time tinago ko,” she said.
Jona admitted feeling both scared and relieved to talk about the abuse. “I’m a little scared to open up, but at the same time it’s freeing,” she said.
Toni told her guest, “It’s hard for you to trust men nowadays because the very man that was supposed to protect you, to keep you safe, violated you.” Jona nodded in silence, holding back tears.
The interview began with Toni asking why the singer often becomes tearful when performing. Jona said it may be because of her childhood experiences.
“Hindi nila alam yung past ko, ang alam lang nila sa background ko, galing ako sa broken family,” she said. “Duon ko nae-express sa aking pagkanta and I have never shared this experience before.”
Jona described her childhood as happy and simple, saying she began singing in a church music ministry at age 3. Her parents influenced her musically—her mother trained her, while her father bought her cassette tapes. She started joining singing contests at 7.
“It was a simple life,” she said.
Things changed when her parents began fighting. “As a child, medyo nonchalant ka pa,” she said, referring to her parents’ marital problems.
Jona rose to fame after winning the Pinoy Pop Superstar competition in 2005 and has since been known as one of the country’s top vocalists.
