Filipino actor Cesar Montano vehemently denied on Tuesday the marital rape charge filed on Monday by his estranged wife Sunshine Cruz.

Through his lawyer, Attorney Joel Ferrer, Cesar said he did not physically or verbally abuse Sunshine and described the marital rape charge as "simply preposterous."

Appearing in the morning show of GMA-7, Unang Hirit, Atty Ferrer said that on May 12, 2013, Mother's Day, Sunshine invited Cesar to join her for dinner at a local hotel, together with their three daughters. After the dinner, he slept at the house where his estranged wife stays and left the next day.

"The two even had exchanges of text messages of good nature belying any animosity between them several days after the Mother's Day celebration," the lawyer said.

He also denied that Cesar is preventing her from seeing their daughters who are staying with their father since she could visit them at his house in Tivoli Royale or in the kids' school. He added it is the children's choice to stay with Cesar, although Sunshine insists the kids are texting and asking her to get them.

Atty Ferrer said he thinks the reason why Sunshine filed a marital rape case against Cesar is to have leverage in her desire to have their 12-year marriage annulled. He insisted the actor is doing everything to save their marriage, which is his second since he was a widower with adult children when he married Sunshine.

This is not the first major problem between the couple. A few years ago, they also separated over in-law problems, particularly Cesar's older sister. However, they eventually patched things up and Sunshine provided moral support to him when Cesar's adult son by his first marriage committed suicide.

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