Fashion designer Jojo Bragais and celebrity makeup artist Dave Quiambao have both come forward to claim that Michelle Dee was in Iloilo on January 17, the same date her former driver accused her, Rhian Ramos, and beauty queen Samantha Panlilio of torture and illegal detention in Makati City.
The statements surfaced after Bonifacio “Totoy” Baro filed a complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation, alleging that he was beaten, doused with alcohol, and held against his will inside a condominium unit on January 17. He further claimed that Ramos’ bodyguards assaulted him in the early hours of that day and that Dee and Panlilio later joined in the alleged abuse.
Bragais, who has worked closely with Dee in the pageant industry and whose company served as the official footwear provider for multiple Miss Universe editions, took to social media on Thursday, January 29, to dispute the accusation.
“Base sa pano ko kilala si MMD (Dee) and SamPan (Panlilio), I doubt they could do ‘yung mga issues na binabato. Parehong chill na tao ‘to. And nasa Iloilo kami nila MMD nung January 17,” Bragais wrote.
He further addressed questions from netizens regarding Dee’s security detail during the Iloilo engagement, saying he could not recall her being accompanied by bodyguards.
“Sa mga raket namin na mag kakasama, RM [road manager] ang kasama at di body guard. Wala akong ma alala base sa aking memory at personal na pagsasama na may ganap kaming may dala syang bodyguard. Mapa event, provincial judging or commercial shoot,” he added.
Quiambao echoed Bragais’ assertion, likewise insisting that Dee was with them in Iloilo on the day in question.
“Pano nangyari ‘to ng January 17 eh nasa Iloilo kami? Panooo?” Quiambao wrote in a caption accompanying his post about the allegations.
The claims of an alibi have added a new layer to the controversy, with the timeline now emerging as a key point of contention.
Earlier, lawyer Maggie Abraham-Garduque, legal counsel for Dee and Ramos, denied the allegations of torture and illegal detention and said her clients have not yet received a copy of the NBI complaint.
She also stated that the accusations may be connected to a separate case of qualified theft filed by Dee against the driver.
As of this writing, Panlilio has yet to issue a statement regarding the allegations.
The NBI has not released further details on the status of the investigation, while public attention remains focused on reconciling the competing accounts surrounding where the parties were on January 17 and what exactly transpired.
