MANILA – Estranged celebrity couple Sunshine Cruz and Cesar Montano faced off at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QC RTC) on Thursday morning for the hearing of the permanent protection order filed by the actress against her husband.
Cruz arrived at around 8 a.m. with her lawyer, while Montano arrived 30 minutes later along with their three daughters and his brother.
This is the first time the “Dugong Buhay” actress saw her children again since July 29.
The couple then attended a closed-door proceeding at the sala of Judge Fernando Sagun, which lasted for almost two hours.
After the proceeding, Cruz emerged from the Quezon City Justice Hall without saying a word about what happened during the hearing.
The actress briefly told entertainment reporters that the closed-door proceedings covered many things but her main concern is just to have her daughters back.
Minutes after Cruz came out of the justice’s chamber, Montano appeared but refused to grant any media interviews.
But when asked how far he is willing to fight for his daughters, the actor said: “Hanggang kamatayan.”
After that, Montano and their children went straight to Branch 107 where Cruz’s petition for habeas corpus is currently being heard.
Cruz filed a complaint-affidavit before the QC RTC on Tuesday morning in an Anti-Violence
Against Women and their Children case against her Montano.
The actress claims Montano has committed -- and still continues to commit -- acts of violence and verbal abuse against her and her three daughters.
She also claimed that the actor raped her last May.
But Atty. Joel Ferrer, Montano's lawyer, claimed that Cruz has been asking her husband to buy her a new house, which supposedly costs P11 million to P15 million, and a monthly financial support of P350,000.
"Gumagawa-gawa ng kwento si Sunshine kasi hindi napagbigyan 'yung demands niya," the lawyer earlier told ABS-CBN News.
Cruz, on the other hand, maintained that she did not file a case against her husband because of her "financial demands."
