Cruz, Montano to share custody of 3 daughters

‘ESTRANGED’ Actress Sunshine Cruz (back to camera) holds a hand out to her daughters who smile at her during a court hearing on Thursday as her estranged husband, Cesar Montano, leads them away. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Estranged show biz couple Sunshine Cruz and Cesar Montano faced off Thursday morning in two courtrooms just days after she sued him for emotional, physical and sexual abuse in the city prosecutor’s office.

While no agreement regarding the amount of monthly financial support Cruz should receive was reached in the court where she had been asking for protection from her husband, the actress and Montano agreed to share custody of their three daughters in the other.

During the proceedings for the issuance of a permanent protection order (PPO) against Montano before Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Fernando Sagum of Branch 78, the actor’s lawyer Joel Ferrer told the INQUIRER that Cruz had been asking for P350,000 every month “for herself” although she later voluntarily reduced it to P200,000.

According to him, Montano had offered to double the P350,000 on the condition that the amount would be “for their three children” and the actress would also share in the expenses, but there was no response from Cruz.

Ferrer added that Montano gave more than P1 million in cash to Cruz as his financial support for the months of April, May and June. The actor, he said, did not give his wife any money last month since she had found work by then.

However, Cruz’s lawyer Bonifacio Alentajan told reporters after the hearing that Montano had refused to provide financial support to his family.

When both parties failed to reach an agreement, the judge ordered them to submit their respective position papers on or before Aug. 27 so that he could rule on the actress’ petition for a PPO.

Meanwhile, at the hearing for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus before Quezon City RTC Branch 107 Judge Jose Bautista Jr., the couple agreed to share custody of their three children.

Cruz earlier claimed that her husband took their daughters without her permission last month and has since refused to let her see them.

After the judge alternately spoke to the couple and their three daughters to get their views, Cruz and Montano later agreed during a closed-door meeting to share custody of their children for two months.

No other details of the agreement were disclosed because of a gag order issued by the judge covering both parties.