The Department of Tourism (DOT) revoked the Certificate of Authority to Operate of the City Garden Grand Hotel (CGGH) in Makati City, the place where Christine Dacera was found unconscious on New Year’s Day.
DOT said it canceled the hotel’s operating certificate as it was “liable” for gross and evident bad faith when it accepted guests for a staycation or leisure purposes.
“In the course of the investigation, DOT-NCR considered other evidence which was not limited to the circumstances surrounding the incident on 31 December 2020… The pieces of evidence showed that even prior to the incident and until now, the CGGH is marketing packages to accept leisure guests,” the DOT said, noting CGGH was classified as a quarantine facility.
The DOT also suspended, for 6 months, the accreditation of City Garden Grand hotel as a quarantine facility. The hotel was also asked to a fine of P10,000 for quarantine violations.
“CGGH has the right to appeal within the period prescribed by the DOT rules and regulations,” DOT said.
However, City Garden Grand Hotel could continue its operations since it has pending appeal.
DOT revokes operation certificate of City Garden Grand Hotel
Earlier, the hotel insisted that they had not violated quarantine protocols.
The hotel allegedly insisted that those involved in the incident were included in the list of guests they could accommodate, according to DOT regional director Woodrow Maquiling.
“They claim that those persons involved inside their properties are in the permitted list of guests that they can actually accept. There are a number of airline companies, foreign carriers, na pagdating sa Manila they check in near the airport,” said Maquiling.
The DOT reminded that even if flight attendants can check-in at the hotel as a frontliner, they still have to follow the rules.
They also said they could not invite guests into the room or have a party.
“We have to establish the booking dates, the history of the booking because it appears so that this particular booking was made for this particular purpose which is the New Year’s Eve celebration of the group and this is also manifested and corroborated by the persons involved,” said Maquiling.