A PRIVATE drive-in motel has volunteered to shelter evicted occupants of a dormitory after they were evicted, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said Monday, March 23.
Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio that she received reports that certain health workers were evicted from their dormitory.
The city mayor said in her discussion with Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte, the Oh George! management has agreed to shelter evicted health workers in all their branches.
“Gihangyo nako ang atong vice mayor nga istoryahan ang mga motel (I asked our vice mayor to talk to some motels) if they can allow them temporary shelter kung wala sila’y makit-an nga kapuy-an in the immediate time karon nga gipahawa sila (considering that they may not immediately find a place after the short notice of their eviction). Nisugot daw ang Oh George! nga maghatag og mga units for our nurses na nakick-out sa dorm (Oh George! has agreed to provide some rooms for the nurses who were kicked out of the dorm),” Duterte-Carpio said.
The mayor thanked Oh George! for their assistance.
Meanwhile, the mayor, as of Monday, did not mention if other lodging houses also agreed to allow evicted health workers to occupy their rooms.
On Sunday, March 22, Facebook user Brenda Amor Dadula aired her frustration in a social media post over an alleged kicking out of boarding nurses in a dormitory in Narra Street.
She said the caretakers of the said dormitory have been asking them about how they disinfect themselves and if they have plans to transferring to other dormitories.
“According to the caretakers, the owner was ‘concerned since we are constantly exposed’,” she said in her caption.
She also posted a photo of an advisory from the management of the dormitory, informing the renters of their temporary closure on March 30 until further notice.
“This was given to every renter. The explanation given to us is that they will be closing since they can be liable if somebody will be infected and they are just concern with the safety of the renters if they will continue to operate,” Dadula said.
Another Facebook user Jewelle Ann Valderrama posted, “Please help. Need a house ASAP kay gipahawa mi sa Narra Apartment kay nurse mi. Wala mabuhat ang barangay kay private business daw (We need a house as soon as possible because we were evicted from Narra Apartment because we are nurses. The barangay officials cannot do anything because it is a private business).”
On Monday, Narra Apartment issued an official statement on their Facebook page saying it was a “fake news incident blown out of proportion”.
The management said the closure of the apartment was more of an operational issue than an act of discrimination.
“Several boarders of Narra Dormitory left the premises to return to their respective homes and provinces,” the statement read.
This, after the entire city was put under community quarantine.
“Only less than one-fourth of the capacity of Narra Dormitory is presently occupied. Because of the rapid reduction in the occupancy which is not enough to sustain the monthly operational cost of the dormitory, the management decided to temporarily close,” the statement added.
The statement also read that the notice to vacate was not exclusive to nurses but to all the boarders.
The management belied the claims of some boarders that they are discriminating against health workers.
It said the post of Valderrama put them in a bad light and is making an impression that there are many nurses boarding in their dormitory.
“As far as our records would show, we only have two boarders who are nurses/health workers at present. The rest are not health workers,” the management added.
“We are more than willing to make arrangements with our present boarders and to make adjustments that would mutually help us all,” the statement read.