What was supposed to be a night of revelry became a scandalous affair for McNeal Neri "Awra" Briguela.
The former child star hogged headlines recently after she was detained by the police for getting involved in a brawl in Makati City.
Video clips of Awra in handcuffs and being accosted by the authorities quickly spread online, stirring up a wave of reactions ranging from sympathy to anger toward the police for what many perceived as unnecessary use of force.
In the span of three days, various opinions were formed and shifted as videos related to the incident surfaced, giving the public a picture of what could have possibly transpired that evening.
A clear conclusion is yet to be established, and Awra is facing multiple complaints stemming from the incident.
Here is a timeline of the events that led to Awra's current legal predicament.
AWRA WAS ARRESTED
On Thursday, June 29, 2023, Awra made headlines after being arrested in the early morning by police authorities in Poblacion, Makati.
Initial reports said that Awra and her friends got involved in a brawl during a night out at the Bolt Hole Bar.
So what happened? A man named Mark Christian Ravana claimed that he was assaulted by Awra and her companions after he refused to heed their request to strip.
It was alleged that the 19-year-old actress was livid and went after Mark as he was making his way out of the bar.
The ensuing commotion prompted the police to respond to the scene of the incident.
Police officers claimed that Awra was hostile towards them, spewing profanity and acting disrespectfully towards them as they attempt to intervene.
Awra, according to the police, pushed an officer, leading to her arrest and resulting in multiple complaints such as Physical Injuries, Alarm, Scandal, Disobedience to a Person in Authority, and Direct Assault.
Read: Awra Briguela, pinosasan matapos masangkot sa rambulan sa Makati
Awra was detained at the Poblacion Substation in Makati City.
MARK GRANTS AN INTERVIEW
TV5’s news program Frontline Pilipinas managed to get hold of Mark to ask about what happened in the bar.
“Nakursunadahan niya siguro ako tapos hindi niya ako pinalabas ng bar,” said Mark in the interview aired on June 29, 2023.
“Unang-una talaga, hindi ako pumapatol. Naka-hands up pa nga ako. Sinundan talaga ako sa baba.
“Then nagulat ako, may sumuntok na sa akin. Madami na ang sumuntok sa akin, lumaban lang ako.”
The bar’s bouncer, Angelo Niño Gulmatico, also got hurt courtesy allegedly of Awra’s group during the commotion.
“Umaawat lang po ako tapos sinapak po ako, nasaktan po ako,” Gulmatico recounted.
"Si Awra po. Hindi na siguro mapigilan. Kung sinu-sino na siguro yung nasasaktan niya.”
FILING OF CASES
The inquest proceeding was done online on Friday morning, June 30, 2023.
An inquest procedure is an informal and summary investigation by a public prosecutor to determine whether a crime has been committed by an individual who was arrested and detained without a warrant of arrest.
It determines if a person should remain under police custody and accordingly charged, and if the offense is bailable or non-bailable.
The Southern Police District (SPD)-Makati City Incident Operations Center or IOC told the media that Awra faced inquest proceedings at 10:30 a.m.
The public prosecutor found Awra’s case bailable, reports said.
AWRA'S FRIEND SHARES THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY
As news and video clips of the arrest spread online, Awra’s friend, content creator Zayla Nakajima, posted on Instagram Story to share her version of the story.
Zayla claimed that Awra was only trying to defend her friends from a group of men who were sexually harassing them inside the bar.
She wrote, “Minutes later, there’s one guy who creepily harassed me with two attempts.
“First attempt, he touched my bum and squeezed it — I was wearing bra top at the time.
“Second and worse attempt, he tried to insert his bare hands inside my bra.
“He is full-creep and been roaming around the club and every time he gets near to me, I avoid him and that’s where I draw the line. I decided to go home and leave.
“After this harassment against me and my friend Mary Joy, my dear friend Awra confronted the guy very calmly after the party to defend me and our friend.”
A heated exchange ensued, with Zayla saying that the guy threw a punch, forcing Awra to retaliate, and “that’s where the trouble began.”
Zayla threatened to sue the other party, labeling him an “abuser,” and asking Awra’s supporters to mass report people spreading content online meant to degrade the actress.
CELEBRITIES, NETIZENS RALLY AROUND AWRA
Zayla’s statement resulted in an outpouring of support and sympathy for Awra.
The hashtag #JusticeForAwra trended as friends and supporters took to social media to throw their support to Awra while condemning the police for their actions.
Many admired Awra for standing up for her friends and her willingness to go the extra mile to protect them.
Content creators and influencers including Riva Quenery, Zeinab Harake, Ayn Bernos, Mica Salamanca, and Sassa Gurl rallied around the former FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano actress.
Fellow showbiz personalities JC Alcantara, Alex Diaz, Jerald Napoles, and Barbie Imperial, among others, also took to social media to express solidarity with Awra.
All of them lamented what they perceived as unfair treatment of Awra by the arresting police officers.
They accused the police of manhandling Awra while questioning why the other party was not arrested and detained following the incident.
Jerald wrote on Facebook, “Kung ako ang nasa sitwasyon ni Awra at inargabyado, binastos, at winalang respeto ang kasama kong babae ng isang lalakeng lasing.. ganito rin ang mangyayari, baka higit pa.”
JC, meanwhile, said, “PS: si awra po pinaglaban nya lang yung tama. Saka hindi yan lalaban kung walang masamang ginawa sakanila yung tao.
“Pero legittt! Iba yung justice sa pilipinassss.”
Organizations championing the rights and welfare of the LGBTQ+ community also made themselves heard.
“They filed a case against Awra while they allowed the harassers to go scot-free. They chose not to listen to the side of the women who were harassed," stressed Babaylan from the University of the Philippines.
"Undeniably, at their core are misogyny, sexism, transphobia, and homophobia!"
Bahaghari, another group advocating for fair treatment of LGBTQ+, meanwhile, stated, “We call for the urgent release of Awra and the dropping of all false, trumped-up charges against her.
"We call for an impartial investigation so that the very people who harassed Awra’s friends in the first place would be brought forward to answer for their actions.”
The group added that Awra’s arrest was an example of “transphobia” and “police brutality.”
It didn’t help that a remark made by Col. Edward Cutiyog, chief of the Makati City Police Station, during an interview with Senator Raffy Tulfo for Wanted sa Radyo came across as disparaging to Awra and her sexual orientation.
“E, alam mo naman si Awra is gay, gusto niyang makita `yung magandang katawan,” commented the police officer when asked about his opinion about the incident.
The broadcaster-turned-senator admonished Col. Edward on air, saying, “Ay hindi Sir, mali ka diyan Sir. Huwag Sir. Huwag ganoon. Palibhasa’y gay, gustong makita agad ang katawan ng isang lalaki? Siguro po, meron pong pinagmulan ‘yung kaguluhan.”
Col. Edward explained that his remark was based on the statement given by Mark to the police.
As to why Mark and his friends were not apprehended, Col. Edward explained that no cases were filed against them by Awra and her group.
Col. Edward statement drew flak from the public, including host Bianca Gonzalez who wrote on Twitter, “Salamat Sen. Tulfo for correcting the backward and harmful thinking and reasoning. Malaking bagay lalo't maraming kalalakihan ang nakikinig sa iyo, Sir.”
FOOTAGES OF THE INCIDENT EMERGE
A CCTV footage taken inside the bar on the night of the incident started floating online, showing what transpired that led to the scuffle.
Social media personality Xian Gaza shared the video on Facebook on June 30, 2023.
Read: CCTV footage of Awra Briguela, complainant inside Makati bar released
A staff working for the bar can be heard describing the scenes as they unfolded and as captured by the CCTV camera from various angles inside the establishment.
The footage appeared to match Mark’s version that he was assaulted by Awra after failing to comply with her demand to undress.
According to the staff, Mark and his friends wanted their photos taken with Awra.
In exchange for the photo, Awra allegedly requested that Mark take off his clothes.
Awra and Mark’s group appeared to be getting along fine, socializing with each other and teasing the latter to give in to the actress' request for fun.
Apparently, Awra started acting aggressively when Mark and his friends were about to leave the bar.
Mark was seen in the footage taking his shirt off to appease Awra, catching the eye of one of the bouncers who asked Mark to put his clothes back on.
The staff said that Awra insisted that Mark put down his pants and proceeded to pull the latter’s shirt forcefully when he still refused.
Awra was also seen in the footage pushing Mark twice as he continued to ignore her request.
Mark and his friends were then seen leaving the bar presumably to avoid further trouble.
Awra followed them and was now acting out of control despite efforts by security and Mark’s friends to pacify her.
The staff said that Awra had more than 20 companions that day, making it more difficult for security to control the situation as tension mounted.
The commotion between Mark and Awra’s group spilled to the streets, leading the police to get involved and eventually arrest Awra.
A witness who claimed to have seen the street brawl narrated in an interview with TV Patrol, "Yung paglabas nila dito, nagsisigawan. Nagkalapitan yung magkabilang grupo, nagsuntukan na.
"Ngayon, pagtapos magsuntukan, yung isa bumulagta. Nagalit si Awra, sabi niya, 'Bakit mo sinuntok?'
"Inaawat nung pulis, iniimbita yata sila, ayun na naghi-hysterical na si Awra."
Read: Papuri kay Awra Briguela, napalitan ng batikos dahil sa CCTV footage
The first video that went viral — uploaded on Twitter by user @bhulag123 on June 29, 2023 — related to the incident show a melee involving a group of young people trading punches on the street.
The next scene showed Awra resisting arrest as she was being apprehended and handcuffed by police officers.
Similar videos were posted online on the same date by @kennyyperryy and @supernegatrona.
Meanwhile, another video taken inside the bar and uploaded on Twitter by @itsMhelEnriquez on July 1, 2023, offered a different perspective on the events leading to the fight.
She wrote, "Eto clear copy, a POV From Awra Briguela’s friends.. hindi galing sa cctv na may nagkekwento lang. #IStandWithAwra."
The video showed one of Awra's friends bad-mouthing Mark, shouting "Pu**** *na mo, Mark Ravana!"
A guy seemingly from Mark's group then apologized to Awra and her companions.
It was unclear, however, what the expletive was for and why one of the guys in the bar was saying sorry.
Awra's group then started chanting in unison and teasing Mark, who was smiling at the time.
Part of the video showed Mark lifting his shirt a little and appearing to suggest taking his pants off; the video abruptly stopped at this point.
Another video from a different but closer angle showed a grinning Mark seemingly unbuckling his belt while Awra and her friends were cheering, saying, "Pakita mo! Pakita mo! Pakita mo!"
Before that, Awra and the others can be heard jeering at Mark, saying in unison, "Nagpapakan*** ka kay Yuri!"
The video, though, lacks context, and it can be argued that both camps appear to be getting along fine and that the profanity-laced teasing was typical bantering among young people on a night out and done in the spirit of fun.
FREED FROM POLICE CUSTODY
Awra was released from jail on Saturday, July 1, 2022, after posting bail amounting to P6,000.
Read: Awra Briguela, nakalaya na matapos magpiyansa
Executive Judge Gina Bibat-Palamos of the Makati Regional Trial Court issued the release order.
Since her release, Awra and her lawyer, Atty. Jose Protacio Sandoval Medalla, have refrained from issuing any statement addressing the incident and the cases filed against the embattled actress.
Awra's friends have yet to file a formal complaint against the individual who allegedly harassed one of her friends — an incident which, according to Awra's friends, prompted Awra to defend her friend.
Vice Ganda, who happens to be Awra's manager, has yet to issue a statement about the incident.
He indirectly mentioned the issue once in an episode of It's Showtime saying, "Ang ganda. Pang-Poblacion." But the usually vocal Vice did not elaborate and didn't even make a comment in defense of his talent.
In Cristy Fermin's commentary yesterday, July 7, she cited that a source claimed that it was Ion Perez's personal assistant who bailed Awra out from detention.
She also gave her opinion on why Vice has kept mum about the issue.
“Pero alam mo ba na siniyerto niya talaga si Awra. Nilabhan niya at binanlawan," Fermin added.
"Hindi talaga niya talaga kinunsinti dahil mali naman talaga si Awra. Yon ang maganda kay Vice. Lumugar siya sa tama, di ba?"