INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
UPDATED MANILA, Philippines — “Poblacion Girl” Gwyneth Anne Chua pleaded guilty before the Makati regional trial court to skipping quarantine protocols during the holiday season last year.
Makati Prosecutor Rafael Esguerra said that Chua entered her guilty plea for violating Section 9 (d) of Republic Act 11332 (Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act) and apologized for her actions, which at the time had been fodder for social media discourse.
The Makati Court imposed a P20,000 fine.
Section 9 of RA 11332 states that “non-cooperation of persons and entities that should report and/or respond to notifiable diseases or health events of public concern” is a prohibited act.
“Following the voluntary plea of guilt of accused Gwyneth Anne Chua, this Court finds her guilty beyond reasonable doubt for violating Section 9 of RA 11332 and hereby imposes upon her to pay a fine of P20,000 to be paid at the Office of the Clerk of Court of this Court,” the Makati Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 128 said.
“After payment, said accused is directed to submit to the court the official receipt evidencing payment of the fine,” the court added.
Meanwhile, Chua’s co-accused, Esteban Gatbonton, the security guard at the Berjaya Hotel where Chua was supposed to be quarantined, pleaded not guilty.
Gatbonton filed a motion to quash the Information or charge sheet stating that it failed to indicate the supposed overt acts he has committed.
He added that the CCTV recordings could not be used against him because it is illegally acquired.
The court, however, denied his motion for lack of merit and set the case for a hearing beginning on October 12.
Based on the timeline of events, Chua returned to the Philippines on December 22 from a trip to Los Angeles, California.
The next day, however, she attended a party held in Barangay Poblacion in Makati City despite requirements for her to undergo isolation at a designated hotel until she had completed her period of quarantine.
She tested positive for coronavirus on December 27 and was quarantined two days later at a Bureau of Quarantine facility. A complaint was filed against Chua by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group National Capital Regional Unit under the supervision of Col. Randy Glenn Silvio (now Laguna police director) based on the evidence gathered by operatives of the Northern Metro Manila District Field Unit led by Lt. Col. Jyleo Bautista.