Baguio hotel robbery probed

BAGUIO CITY—Police here are investigating a robbery at the Elizabeth Hotel last Dec. 28, one of the busiest days in the summer capital during the long holiday break, when guests lost at least P1 million in cash and belongings.

Guests, some of them senior citizens, who were booked in four rooms of the hotel, said they woke up to find their money, worth P346,000 and $300 (P13,484), and gadgets, jewelry and belongings, worth P668,000, missing, police said.

A couple, who contacted the Inquirer earlier, said they were celebrating their wedding anniversary in Baguio when the incident happened.

SPO4 Joel Pay-an, Baguio City Police Station 3 chief investigator, said investigators failed to find traces of chemicals that might explain why the guests did not wake up when thieves entered their rooms through a defective terrace door. The hotel has promised to pay for the losses, police said. Jhoanna Marie Buenaobra, Inquirer Northern Luzon