Gwyneth Chua, who earned the online moniker ‘Poblacion Girl’, pleaded guilty for violating quarantine protocols before Makati prosecutors on Monday, September 5.
She was fined PHP20,000 for breaching COVID-19 protocols last December.
Makati Prosecutor Rafael Rodrigo Esguerra told a report of ABS-CBN News: “In fact, she apologized for the hassle she caused.”
Chua appeared at the Makati City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 128 this morning, accused of violating Republic Act 11332 or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act”.
The hotel security guard involved in the incident will however continue to face the charges because he pleaded not guilty in the case.
He allegedly facilitated Chua’s escape from the quarantine hotel facility.
Initially, the hotel said that Chua was following all the quarantine protocols but later on admitted that she indeed skipped her quarantine.
“Neither did the hotel security personnel nor the front lobby call her attention, and neither was there any effort to report the incident to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ):, even after her return three days later,” the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.
“The statements made by the hotel management and its public apology were an admission of not just the facts of the incident but as well as their lapses in their responsibility as an accredited establishment of the DOT,” it added.
