‘Beautiful girl’ indicted, to face charge in court

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office has indicted the 16-year-old minor who allegedly  not paying her bills at a resort in Asturias town.

Police Inspector Philip John Libres of Asturias Police Station said the girl did not file any counter-affidavit after they filed a criminal charge, choosing to face the charges in court.

Libres said the inquest pro-secutor recommended P40,000 for the minor’s temporary liberty after receiving the complaint for estafa.

On Friday, the Asturias police filed a criminal complaint for estafa against the minor.

Libres said that last December 4,  the manager of Cabo San Miguel Resort in Barangay Uwak, Asturias reported to the their station that the minor did not pay for her three-day accommodation at the resort amounting to P15,000.

He said the minor arrived at the said resort on December 1 and reportedly promised to pay her bills by 3 p.m. on December 4, only that her “parents” did not arrive. She was brought to the police station after that.

Resort staff Judelyn Cantabaco said that while they were on their way to Cebu City, she was informed about a man who went to the resort last Friday and paid P15,000 for the minor’s bill.

Cantabaco, however, said that despite the payment, the resort owner was bent on pursuing the case.

Lawyer Rene Abcede, the minor’s legal counsel, said while the latter’s parents are still finding money to bail her out, the minor will be under the custody of the Department of Welfare and Social Development-7.

Abcede told The FREEMAN that they have not received any summons for them to answer for the other cases of the minor has been charged with.

Earlier, a salon owner has filed a complaint before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office against the minor after she failed to pay the services she availed there.

Meanwhile, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said that we should be understanding of the human weaknesses and should instead pray that our lives are in line with God’s plan for us.

“Di kita angay maghusgar. Let us be understanding with the human weakness and the same time atong e-ampo nga ang atong kinabuhi magsubay sa kabubut-on sa Ginoo,” Palma said when asked by the press about the girl.

The minor, who gave conflicting ages ranging from 15 to 23 before it was established that she is still 16, gained prominence in Cebu after she was tagged as “Cebu’s most beautiful shoplifter.” That was after she allegedly stole P20,000 worth of clothes and accessories from one of the boutiques in Mandaue City sometime in August this year.

She caught media attention again recently after she allegedly did not pay  her P2,000.00 bill for salon services early this month. (FREEMAN)