Monday, November 13, 2006
Summit teams grilled on rates
By Rene H. Martel
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
IF A fortnightly magazine is to be believed, Asean summit organizers are making extra money from foreign journalists and media agencies covering the international gathering next month.
But government officials said the issue the magazine is raising was settled with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) as early as last month.
Newsbreak magazine, in its Nov. 20, 2006 issue, said it appears organizers preyed on the foreign journalists who are coming here for the summit.
It said that while the published rate for Cebu hotels is US$60 a day, the International Press Center (IPC) under the Office of the Press Secretary asked the foreign media to pay $200 to $250 a night “for an average hotel.”
Foreign journalists, it said, were told by hotels to go through the IPC in making reservations, instead of going directly to each establishment.
Journalists pointed out the average room rate for five-star hotels was only $75 a night when the summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last year, Newsbreak reported.
“Last we heard, the IPC was giving the journalists only acknowledgment receipts for their payments, not provisional receipts from the hotels.... A few reporters who didn’t coordinate with the IPC got rooms for only $85,” it said.
In a telephone interview, Lorina delos Reyes, head of the 12th Asean summit registration and accreditation committee under the Office of Press Secretary, said the matter was clarified with Focap last October yet.
Bookings
She said that Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., head of the Asean Summit national organizing committee (NOC) and co-chair of the local organizing committee, was the one who spoke with the foreign journalists.
“Na-explain na yan sa kanila. Nakipag-meeting na si Ambassador Paynor sa Focap at naiintindihan naman nila (That has been explained already),” she said.
Delos Reyes said they merely act as go-betweens for the nine to 10 hotels that will accommodate foreign media.
They make the arrangements and bookings once a media outfit calls for reservations, and hotels have different rates, depending on the amenities and facilities offered.
Nagiel Bañacia, Cebu City Asean task force head and the City Government’s information officer, confirmed this, saying reservations are centralized with the IPC for the foreign journalists’ ease.
Because of the limited number of rooms available, the IPC deemed it necessary to make the reservations for them to monitor availability.
“We already know of this problem. We are very transparent in this. They (Newsbreak) can check it here, ilang tan-awon ang reality sa actual rates,” he said.
Season
Delos Reyes said they inspected the hotels and made suggestions to make the foreign journalists’ stay comfortable.
Bañacia said the hotels followed the suggestions.
“It is completely impossible nga makakwarta ang uban ana kay the foreign media are the ones who negotiate with the hotels for a particular accommodation,” he said.
Department of Tourism Undersecretary (DOT) Undersecretary Phineas Alburo, who is in charge of reservations and blocking rooms, also said that even without the summit, hotel rates tend to go up by December.
“The room rates are dictated by the period. Bisan wala’y summit, mosaka gyud na ingon aron,” he said.
Alburo said they have no control over the rates, as their role is merely to make sure there are “enough available rooms that are of acceptable standards.”
“The rate is from hotel to hotel, resort to resort. Kita ang mo-reserve sa kwarto pero dili kita ang mobayad. Sila na ang magpili asa sila. The final charge is between the hotel and the user,” he said.
Reservations
Delos Reyes said they even asked the hotels to lower the rates, but those that charge higher have better amenities, like Internet access in their rooms, for example.
“Other hotels are now even charging $400. Other good hotels have Wi-Fi and flat screen TVs,” Bañacia also said.
Delos Reyes said receipts will be issued by the hotels only after the foreign journalists have paid in full and when they are in Cebu.
“Ang requirement ng hotels ay reservations. Para siguradong gagamitin, pagkatapos ng full payment ang receipt. Eh nasa Maynila sila, nasa Cebu ang hotels, paano kami makapagbigay ng receipt? (The hotels will give the receipt only after full payment has been made),” she added.
Sun.Star tried calling Hotels, Restaurants and Resorts Association of Cebu leader Marco Protacio, but he was not available for comment.
Newsbreak also alleged that “the journalists were told that the vehicle rental would be P7,500 to P8,000 a day.”
“And when they complained, the IPC cut the rates down to P2,000 to P2,500 a day,” it said.
Negotiations
Asked about this, Alburo said they merely made sure that vehicles are available for the foreign media’s use. And when the rates are excessive, they try to negotiate.
For her part, delos Reyes said the NOC made sure the vehicles are durable and would not bog down. She said they negotiated with the car rental companies, which would explain why rates went down.
She admitted it is a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. There are foreign media who called for reservations but until now have yet to pay, she said.
And the hotels are threatening to cancel the reservations the IPC made on the journalists’ behalf.
She assured, though, that what they are doing is to ensure that the country won’t be embarrassed after the summit. “Makikipagkita kami sa taga Newsbreak para sabihing matagal nang tapos ito (We will inform Newsbreak that we have settled this concern),” delos Reyes said.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (November 13, 2006 issue)
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