'Poblacion Girl' to face criminal complaint for skipping quarantine
Gwyneth Chua, infamously dubbed as the "Poblacion Girl," is now facing a criminal complaint for skipping her mandatory quarantine in a Makati hotel to party in the district last December 2021, the city's Prosecutor Office said on May 5.
In a resolution dated April 29, the Makati Prosecutor's Office said it found probable cause to charge Chua with violation of Section 9 of the Republic Act No. 11332 or "Law of Reporting Communicable Diseases."
Under Section 9, the following are prohibited:
- Tampering of records or intentionally providing misinformation
- Non-operation of the disease surveillance and response systems
- Non-cooperation of persons and entities that should report and/or respond to notifiable diseases or health events of public concern
- Non-cooperation of the person or entities identified as having the notifiable disease, or affected by the health event of public concern
The prosecutor's office said it's also charging a Berjaya Makati Hotel security guard "for assisting the escape of Gwyneth from the quarantine facility."
It, however, dismissed the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) against Chua's parents and boyfriend due to lack of evidence.
The PNP-CIDG earlier filed a case against Allan Dabiwong Chua and Gemma Leonordo-Chua for assisting their daughter in leaving the hotel and returning to it before Christmas Day. Rico Atienza, meanwhile, reportedly spent time with Gwyneth and friends in Poblacion on Dec. 23.
The police's cases against Berjaya Makati Hotel's officials were also dismissed because evidence "failed to show that they knowingly allowed Gwyneth to leave the hotel premises."
"Poblacion Girl" made headlines last year when she arrived from the United States and checked in at the Berjaya Makati Hotel on Dec. 22. Despite the stringent quarantine requirements during that time, she was able to leave the hotel premises the next day, as she was reportedly seen partying with her friends at a bar in Poblacion.
In the coming days, she tested positive for COVID-19 and reportedly infected 15 individuals, including her peers and the employees of the bar they're in.
The incident figured at a time when the country was battling to stem a suge in COVID-19 infections.
On Jan. 3, the Department of Health classified the entire country as "high-risk" amid the "high probability" of community transmission due to the more transmissible Omicron variant. On Jan. 15, an Omicron community transmission was confirmed.
Cases have started to slow down mid-March even as the government eased travel restrictions.
