SBMA takes over hotel for Covid-19 isolation

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) took over a six-storey hotel building here in the Subic Bay Freeport for use as additional care and isolation facility in the fight against the new coronavirus (Covid-19).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma inspected the former Leciel Hotel here on Monday following its turnover on a temporary agreement with the Philippine Veterans Bank, which controls the property.

Eisma said the hotel has 81 rooms, mostly with their own toilet, bath and kitchen, which can be converted into care and isolation rooms. Utility companies here also restored power and water supplies to the hotel on Monday at the behest of the SBMA.

“We don’t want to be caught unprepared in case more patients of Covid-19 turn up. We must be ready for any eventuality because in a pandemic situation we should expect the normal health care system to be overwhelmed,” Eisma explained.

“We pray that eventually this won’t have to be used, but right now our duty is to find all means possible to be able to respond to this health emergency,” she added.

Aside from Leciel Hotel, the SBMA is converting the Subic Gym into a care and isolation facility for PUIs with mild to moderate symptoms. This will enable the Baypointe Hospital and Medical Center in the Subic Freeport to serve PUIs with severe symptoms, those with comorbidities or existing medical conditions, and COVID-19 positive patients, Eisma said.

Baypointe, which is just two blocks away from Leciel Hotel, has a limited room capacity, and has admitted several PUIs from various Zambales towns and the nearby Olongapo City.

“With increased capacity, we will be able to provide for the needs of the local Freeport population and, should the need arise, to accommodate as well referrals by the Department of Health (DOH) from other areas.” Eisma explained. She added that under government protocol, the DOH can assign and apportion PUIs among different hospitals in order to manage overall capacity.

The SBMA chief said that as early as last month, the Subic agency has been eyeing the former Hanjin condominium at Subic’s Naval Magazine area for conversion into an isolation facility, but said venue was scrapped because it was too far.

As care and isolation facilities, both Leciel Hotel and the Subic Gym will be under the supervision of experts from the DOH-Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) and Baypointe Hospital, Eisma said.

At the same time, the SBMA chief revealed that the Subic agency is exploring ways to outsource a complete diagnostics Covid-19 test system from South Korea. This will allow the SBMA to operate a remote dedicated center for Covid-19 tests in partnership with a DOH-accredited public laboratory or testing center.

“The overall plan for the SBFZ response is to strengthen local capacity to hunker down and withstand the worst, which is the possibility of a surge in local infections—while, at the same time, instituting tougher measures to suppress the virus and deprive its means of acquiring more targets,” Eisma said.

“It’s essentially a combination of defensive and offensive measures that presuppose a community that strictly observes quarantine and social distancing as the first line of defense, and then backed by a capable and reliable health care system,” she added.

Eisma also said that effective April 1, Subic Bay Freeport residents who shall exit the Freeport shall be required to surrender their SBMA ID and Quarantine Pass, thereby preventing their re-entry into the SBFZ. This is designed to prevent residents from freely moving in and out of the zone, which is a violation of the Luzon-wide quarantine declared by Malacañang, she added. (MPD-SBMA)

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SBMA Chairman Wilma T. Eisma inspects the six-story former Leciel Hotel in the Subic Bay Freeport, which will be converted temporarily into a care and isolation facility for Covid-19 patients.

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Ombudsman clears SBMA officials in hotel takeover case

The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed criminal complaints filed against current and former officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and other private individuals in connection with the takeover of the management of a hotel in this free port.

Upon the recommendation of Zarnette Sanceda, graft investigation and prosecution officer, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales approved the dismissal of criminal complaints filed by the Subic-based company Freeport Elite Resort, Inc. (FERI) against former SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, former SBMA Deputy Administrator for Legal Affairs Randy Escolango, former SBMA Legal Department manager Von Rodriguez, former SBMA Law Enforcement Department chief Orlando Maddela, and current SBMA Deputy Administrator for Administration Ruel John Kabigting.

Also cleared by the Ombudsman were Kang Il Chan, Choi Byung Kyu, Benito Natividad, Luis Umali, Jun Gallardo, Leonardo Subiela, Leonardo Bernardo, and several John Does, all of FERI, which owns and operates Ocean Hotel, now known as Leciel Hotel, at the Subic Light Commercial and Industrial Park.

SBMA Chairperson and Administrator Wilma Eisma welcomed the decision of the Ombudsman, saying it only proved that the Subic agency officials “were acting in the interest of fairness for all Subic business locators and investors.”

“We have no authority to intervene in the internal affairs of companies. However, we have the obligation to maintain peace and order in the Freeport,” Eisma pointed out.

The case stemmed from a management dispute in 2015 between two groups of investors seeking control of the then Ocean Hotel.

Sometime in 2015, Kang Il Chan, who was a majority stockholder of FERI, filed a petition before the Regional Trial Court Branch 72 in Olongapo City for accounting and inspection of financial and transfer records, and for the annulment of one Cho Chan Choon’s subscription payments for using company funds.

The court on March 16, 2015, rendered a decision in favor of Kang, whose group later took management control of the hotel.

The decision of the RTC, prompted FERI director Jo Kwang Rae to file before the Office of the Ombudsman complaints against SBMA officials and Kang’s group, who allegedly conspired for the hotel takeover. The complaint was for violation of the Revised Penal Code, specifically Articles 177 (2), or usurpation of authority of official functions, and 286, or grave coercion.

However, the Ombudsman dismissed the complaint, pointing out that the complainant’s allegation of conspiracy between SBMA officials and Kwang’s group does not establish it as a fact since the statements of the witnesses presented by Cho were not sufficient to establish the existence of conspiracy, but were devoid of details.

The Ombudsman also found no substantial evidence to hold the SBMA officials administratively liable since the presence of the respondents at the hotel during the stand-off was only to mediate between the warring factions.

Moreover, the Ombudsman ruled out that FERI guards at the hotel who were under direction of the complainant were from unaccredited agency and did not possess licenses to carry firearms, hence the presence of SBMA police at the premises of the hotel was justifiable to “prevent tension between the warring factions from escalating into an all-out violence.”

Lastly, the ruling declared that the recognition by SBMA officials of Kang’s group as the majority shareholders, and their election of new set of board of directors and officers of FERI, did not constitute usurpation of authority or grave abuse of authority, “as they never employed fraud, pretense or misinterpretation in their actions, (nor acted) with cruelty, severity or excessive use of authority.” (RAV/MPD-SBMA)

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Leciel Hotel is located at Subic’s Central Business District and offers venues for trainings and especial events, as well as fitness center, sauna, and spa. 

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