A television cameraman’s face is bloody due to the wound he sustained after allegedly being beaten by three people who were among those who went to a resort in Caloocan City that opened illegally despite the existence of a modified enhanced community quarantine.
In a report by Saleema Refran on GMA News “24 Oras” on Monday, Arnel Tugade, cameraman of a television station, said that he was holding the camera and filming the many people who went to the resort.
When he saw a jeep full of passengers, he followed it and that is where the injury happened to him.
“Nung pag-zoomed out ko doon ko na nakita na pasugod na itong sumuntok sa akin. Hinawakan niya yung lente ng camera ko sabay na jinab [jab] sa mukha ko,” said Tugade.
“Wala na akong nagawa. Bale tatlo sila,” he added.
Dennis Cawigan, one of the suspects, defended himself, saying that Tugade hit his brother with a camera.
Tugade denied the allegation.
Cameraman taking video of those who went to Caloocan resort beaten
Earlier, Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan ordered the closure of Gubat sa Ciudad resort due to the reception of visitors even though MECQ is still in Metro Manila.
The mayor also ordered the cancellation of the resort’s business permit and an immediate investigation into how the resort was able to operate despite the existing MECQ so that it would not be repeated.
Extensive contact tracing, close monitoring, and appropriate and timely RT-PCR testing will also be conducted on all those who go to the resort.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) has ordered quarantine for all families and individuals who swam at a resort in Caloocan.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire was deeply saddened on Monday, especially since visitors would not have flocked to the resort if the establishment had not opened.
“‘Yung nagpunta po diyan sa resort na ‘yan, kailangan po nilang mag-quarantine for 14 days, lahat po sila, so that we can ensure na wala pong pagkakahawa-hawaan [ng COVID-19] na mangyayari,” said Vergeire in a media forum.
The DOH is now asking similar businesses not to imitate Gubat sa Ciudad Resort, especially since it will greatly affect the country’s efforts to eradicate COVID-19 infections.
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