Closure order on Gubat sa Ciudad resort in Caloocan City. Image from Caloocan PIO
MANILA, Philippines — Some 300 guests in a recently-shut Gubat sa Ciudad resort in Caloocan City would not face fines and charges for now, Caloocan mayor Oscar Malapitan said Tuesday as the city intended to prioritize having them swab tested and quarantined.
“Hindi na muna, maaaring humantong tayo doon (arrest), pero ang importante ngayon, masabihan sila na mag-quarantine sila at meron tayong libreng swab,” Malapitan said in a Teleradyo interview, when asked if the local government plans on filing charges against the resort’s guests in violation of ordinances.
(Not for now, although we might get there. But what’s important for now is to have them notified that they should go on quarantine and have them swab tested for free.)
“Kasi pag sinabi mong papatawan, magtatago kaagad ‘yang mga ‘yan,” he pointed out.
(When we said they would be charged, they might go into hiding.)
Malapitan said the local government has challenges in contact tracing the 300 guests in the resort.
“Merong iba na ibang pangalan ang ginamit, merong hindi ma-contact sa number nila,” he said. (Some used other names, some could not be contacted with their phone numbers.)
Malapitan said he also summoned the chairman of Barangay 171 to find out why he was not informed about the ongoing operation of the resort.
The local chief executive said they are preparing to file charges against the owners of the resort, only identified as “De Guzman Family.”
“Kahapon pine-prepare na namin yung criminal case against them, eh nagtatalo ho kami dahil yung father nila ay namatay na, kung kanino namin ipapangalan yung demandang inihain namin,” Malapitan explained.
(We were preparing the criminal case against them, we were arguing as to who would be charged, because the father who is the owner of the resort had already died.)
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