Gwyneth Anne Chua, the so-called Poblacion Girl, entered a guilty plea before the Makati City metropolitan trial court in connection with the incident in December when she violated government’s COVID-19 quarantine policy.
Chua, who was accused of violating Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, was penalized by the court with a fine of P20,000.
Assistant City Prosecutor Rafael Rodrigo Esguerra said Chua apologized for what she did.
Chua and her lawyer refused to give any comment to members of the media. The woman was also with her parents during Monday’s arraignment.
Records showed that Chua’s father picked her up from Berjaya Hotel, where she was supposed to go under quarantine period, at about 11:40 p.m. on December 22.
Police have established the following timeline:
• Chua was transported to the hotel and checked in on December 22 at 11:23 p.m.
• At about 11:40 p.m. of the same night, Chua was fetched from the hotel by her father with an SUV and drove off;
• Investigators confirmed the presence of Chua in one of the restaurants on December 23, through CCTV footage and witness accounts; and
• On December 25 at 9 p.m., Chua returned to the hotel assisted by her mother.
Investigators said Chua was seen dining with several acquaintances at the Kampai Bar and Mijo Comfort Food, both located in Poblacion, Makati City.
They, however, said they “did not find sufficient evidence” to charge any of the individuals in the company of Chua the night after she skipped quarantine.