Thursday, November 08, 2007 PORAC -- The Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL) said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s decision on t By Dante M. Fabian
A KOREAN investor was held by the Angeles City police while City Hall officials served a closure order issued by Mayor Francis Nepomuceno last Tuesday night.
The closure order was served and effected on the Westin Palace Hotel in Villasol Subdivision, Barangay Anunas by officials led by Humberto Tayag.
Patrick Kim, the Korean husband of the company’s president, was brought to Angeles City Police Station 4 by policemen who provided assistance to Tayag’s team upon the city official’s request.
Nepomuceno ordered the closure of the hotel upon receiving reports from Tayag's office alleging that the Westin Hotel was operating without the required building, occupancy and business permits.
Tayag is the executive director of the Business Establishment Monitoring and Compliance Office (Besmorco) which was created by Nepomuceno to ensure compliance of businesses with regulatory and revenue measures.
Tayag said during an inspection, the Besmorco personnel have found that the Westin Palace Hotel was operating although the management staff the hotel was only on a dry run.
While being questioned at the police station, the building contractor, Tess David, arrived and showed Nepomuceno’s aides the building permits and confirmed Kim’s statements that an application for occupancy has been filed with the Office of the Building Official.
Kim said an application for a business permit has already been filed and is being facilitated by an accounting firm.
“How can we open when we still don’t have a mayor’s permit and the building is not yet finished?” Kim said.
David said the hotel has not been opened to guests as it was still undergoing finishing works,
Employees hired by the management also said the hotel cannot accept guests since the rooms still smell of paint and other construction materials.
Angeles Police Chief George Gaddi ordered the immediate release of Kim after finding out that the owners are complying with the city’s regulations.
A photocopy of the order signed by Nepomuceno states the hotel had committed the following violations, which included “non-Payment of Tax for Seventy Rooms (violation of Ordinance No. 56, S-2005)” and “no Building and Occupancy Permits (violation of PD 1096, Building Code of the Philippines.”
