MMDA ‘Gwapotel’ in Manila partially closed for renovations

FEW PATRONS MMDA Worker’s Inn, formerly known as “Gwapotel,” is losing patrons due to bed bug infestation and smeared walls. The budget hotel was a pet project of former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

THE METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has imposed a partial closure of its “Gwapotel” inn to make way for repairs geared at enticing more guests to the nine-year-old facility.

MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said that the 12-hour shutdown—between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.—was meant to avoid inconveniencing workers, travelers and students who patronize the Gwapotel, formally called the MMDA Workers’ Inn, following its opening in 2007.

“We don’t want to drive away and displace our regular clientele which averages 500 persons daily. And more importantly, closing down the facility would contribute to the traffic situation because these people would be stranded on the streets, waiting for a ride home during the rush hour,” Orbos added in a statement.

Among the renovation works lined up for the inn located at the Port Area in Manila are the improvement of the plumbing system and lighting fixtures, and the debugging and disinfection of beds.

For P50, guests at Gwapotel can avail themselves of a 12-hour stay plus use of the shower facilities.

Orbos said that the MMDA would get its budget for the renovation from the inn’s income which totaled P1.4 million from January to June. The renovation of the inn is expected to be completed within a month.

Earlier, Orbos called on the business sector to look into the Gwapotel model, saying it was a “practical alternative

to in-city relocation and [would] somehow help solve our traffic problems.” Jovic Yee