THE Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) will look into reports that some of its member-hotels serving quarantine guests are also accepting Covid-positive individuals, who should otherwise remain in isolation facilities.
This developed as the Department of Tourism (DOT) served more notices to explain (NTEs) to accommodation establishments found violating guidelines of the agency and that of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in dealing with Covid-positive guests.
The Department of Health (DOH), however, was unable to confirm that the rising number of Covid-positive cases in Metro Manila was due to the arrivals of balikbayans (homecoming Filipinos).
PHOA Executive Director Benito C. Bengzon Jr. told the BusinessMirror that the association “strictly abides by the guidelines of the IATF on accommodation establishments used as quarantine facilities.” He added, “We assure the public that we have always prioritized the safety of our guests and workers, and will continue to observe the prescribed health standards in our hotels.”
Asked whether PHOA had internal protocols to deal with member-hotels violating DOT and IATF regulations, Bengzon said, “I’ll look into it.” This comes after PHOA was apprised of the reported violation of one of its more prominent member-hotels. The hotel, based in Makati, is owned by a Filipino conglomerate with interests in other industries, and has accommodations in other key destinations of the country.
The hotel has already been sent a notice to explain (NTE) by the DOT, but its management has denied accepting Covid-positive guests, sources in the agency said.
“Several” NTEs have already been served by the DOT on other hotels, “the latest being” a serviced apartment in Taguig City managed by an international hospitality firm, the same sources added. The NTE was served on the apartment management on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, DOH spokesperson, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reiterated, “[There are] four detections of omicron from incoming travelers since we started monitoring [for the new variant].” She said in an online briefing on Monday the fourth case is a returning overseas Filipino (ROF) from the US, who is now under home quarantine after being in isolation for 10 days.
The three other reported cases were an ROF from Qatar, another ROF from Japan, and a Nigerian who arrived from Oman. As of December 24, she said, 19,922 samples were sequenced nationwide and almost 77 percent were found positive for Covid. She didn’t say whether these were mostly due to balikbayans, who were allowed by the IATF to return home for the Christmas season.
Government sources averred, however, more and more balikbayans were testing positive for Covid and the Omicron variant. “That will likely be the agenda in the first [IATF] meeting next year,” said a separate source. The IATF didn’t meet over the holidays.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat was furious that a number of regular quarantine hotels had been accepting Covid-positive guests who left their assigned isolation facilities. (See, “Hotels-as-quarantine on the sly reap DOT ire,” in the BusinessMirror, December 27, 2021.)
Under DOT’s Administrative Order 2021-004-A, hotels found accommodating guests not permitted under relevant agency guidelines, receive a stern warning and/or fine equivalent to 2x the rack rate of the room used for the accommodation on the first offense; a fine equivalent to 3x-5x the rack rate of the room used for the second offense; and a fine of 6x or more of the rack rate of their most expensive room, and suspension or revocation of accreditation, depending on the gravity of offense, on the third offense.
Under the same administrative order, the same amount of fines or penalties are imposed on hotels found violating health and safety protocols issued by the DOT, DOH, or IATF, from the first to third offense.