Cebuana beauty queen, Spanish boyfriend to undergo 14-day quarantine in Cebu town

CEBU CITY –– The Cebuana beauty queen and her Spanish boyfriend, who were arrested for violating quarantine rules, may have already posted bail to gain temporary liberty, but they could not go home – just yet.

Maria Gigante and boyfriend Javier Filosa Castro were required to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine in an isolation facility in Argao town, south Cebu.

“The quarantine started today (Thursday, May 14) and we will be monitoring whether or not they comply with the protocols,” said Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office.

Gigante, 26, and Castro, 35, were arrested last May 10 for violating the quarantine restrictions imposed by the government as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

They ignored the directive of the police to go straight to Alegria town, where they were supposed to distribute relief goods purportedly from the Public Safety Alliance for Transformation and Rule of Law (PATROL) party-list.

When the police found out that they were swimming and drinking in Moalboal, which was known for its beaches and diving spots, they were picked up and detained for violating the enhanced community quarantine imposed by the government.

The police later filed a string of charges against them for violating Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code for resistance and disobedience to a person in authority, the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, and the Cebu Provincial Ordinance 2020-5.

Falsification of documents was also filed against them after police found out that Gigante and Castro did not have any authority from the PATROL party-list to distribute relief goods in the southern part of Cebu.

They were able to make it past the border control checkpoints after showing a letter of authorization supposedly signed by the PATROL party-list.

After being detained for three days, the couple was able to post bail amounting to P48,000 each and were released from police custody.

But they were not allowed to go home yet.

Mariano said the two lovers should complete the 14-day quarantine, or face additional charges in court.

“If you escape, then we (authorities) will file more cases against you,” the police official said.

LZB