Hotel guest arrested for not paying bill

A 27-YEAR-OLD man was arrested by the management of the hotel he was staying at on Montebello Drive, Barangay Banilad, Cebu City after he failed to pay his bill.

The suspect, identified as Ronald Sy, of Barangay Busay, Cebu City, was turned over to Mabolo Police Station.

Sy and his wife, Sheila May Manila, reportedly checked in at the hotel on Monday, February 20, and checked out on Wednesday, February 22.

On Wednesday morning, Sheila May checked out of the hotel first. Ronald was set to do the same at 4 p.m., but the hotel staff stopped him and demanded payment for his P13,607.75 bill.

The suspect promised to pay his bill through Paypal money transfer.

Major Eraño Regidor, chief of Mabolo Police Station, said the suspect fled quickly with his trolley bag while the management waited for the payment to reflect on the hotel's bank account, prompting security guard Jerome Hinonganan to hold him temporarily.

But when a few minutes passed into hours and the hotel still hadn't received the payment, the hotel management decided to bring Sy to the Mabolo Police Station for detention.

“Nikalit lang ni siyag gawas dala sa iyang bag may gani nabantayan sa gwardya maoy hinungdan sa iyang pagka-dakop. Pag-verify sa management sa bangko, wala gyuy nahitabong bank transfer. Iyang gi rason nga naka bayad na daw siya basin nagka problema daw ang network, maong wala mo-reflect,” Regidor said.

(He suddenly went out with his bag. Fortunately, the guard noticed him and arrested him. There was no bank transfer, as confirmed by the bank's management. He claimed that he had already paid and that there might be a problem with the network.)

Prior to the incident, somebody was looking for the suspect at the hotel because the former had ordered goods online but did not receive it.

As a result, the hotel management monitored the suspect so they would not be victimized.

The police said they will conduct a background investigation on Sy to determine if he had not applied similar modus to other hotels.

The suspect will be facing charges for a crime of estafa. (AYB/TPT)