Gubat sa Ciudad owner, manager, employees face raps
FOLLOWING the filing of administrative and criminal complaint against Barangay 171 Chairman Romeo Rivera for a public gathering at Gubat sa Ciudad Resort, the city government of Caloocan also filed raps against the owner, manager and employees of the resort Wednesday afternoon at the City Prosecutor’s Office.
Caloocan City Mayor Oscar “Oca” Malapitan said the City Health Office represented by Dr. Evelyn Cuevas and Bureau of Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) head Emmanuel Emilio Vergara filed a complaint against Rodolfo De Guzman, Jr., president and owner of Gubat sa Siudad Resort, Aleli Mansano De Guzman, general manager and eight “John Does” who are employees of the resort.
Mayor Oca said the respondents violated the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases punishable under R.A. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act and City Ordinance No. 0863 series of 2020 mandating the strict implementation of social or physical distancing and other relevant measures to curb na spread of COVID-19.
Stood as witness in the case against respondents were Ericson Mauyao and Raymond Boneo, both employees of the local government of Caloocan city detailed at the BPLO who were assigned to check the reported unauthorized opening of the resort on May 9 despite the ban on leisure activities in areas which are still under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
In their joint affidavit, Mauyao and Boneo claimed that upon arriving at the resort at around 5 p.m. on May 9, they were surprised to see at least 500 people in the swimming pool and cottages, including minors and senior citizens.
“Clearly, respondents committed violations by operating the resort during MECQ (Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine) for causing and allowing illegal mass gathering therein, and for failing to enforce social distancing rules, among others,” Cuevas and Vergara said in their complaints.
“The acts of respondents have also caused serious harm and damage not only to the community and to the city but also to the concerted, over-all efforts of the government to effectively manage and stamp out the COVID-19 pandemic,” the two added.
Mayor Oca said that since they were not allowed to file the complaint physically, they filed it via e-mail on Wednesday afternoon.
