Where are the BGC cats? Shangri-La Fort issues statement, denies micro-managing FB page

Over the weekend, the disappearance of the cats that have become a lovely and staple sight at One Bonifacio High Street Park in Taguig erupted on social media.

Cat-loving netizens who lamented the loss, turned their gaze to Shangri-La at the Fort. According to various netizens, Shangri-La at the Fort allegedly hired the services of Pestbusters to relocate these feline friends from their usual spot. 

"Thank you very much Shang BGC! Within a span of a few months, You and PestBusters Philippines destroyed my community, and my dream of a beautiful and vibrant BGC..," reads a portion of a Facebook post by Marcelle Marcelino, which has been shared over 10,000 times since it was published on Friday, February 16. 

Late Sunday February 18, Shangri-La at the Fort issued a statement confirming that “since November 2017, the hotel has been undertaking steps to manage its co-existence with cats, starting with colleagues in the hotel adopting the cats.” According to the statement, about a dozen cats have already been given a safe home by Shangri-La employees.

“Additionally, between January 31 and February 13, the hotel had relocated 11 cats safely to residential areas on Ilaya Street and Anastacio Street, both in Taguig City”, the statement read.

But there was no word on whether or not the services of Pestbusters was tapped.

Netizens could not be consoled. Taking the fight to the hotel’s Facebook page, where they demanded for explanation and proof, many were surprised on Sunday when they were suddenly blocked and their comments and reviews, deleted.

“For the record, we don’t block or delete anything on our Facebook page,” Shangri-La at the Fort communications director Sam Gallardo tells GMA News Online on the phone.

Gallardo also confirmed that their social media pages are managed internally by its communications team and revealed “we cannot delete nor block anybody. That is not in our protocol.

“We don't delete or block but we report, especially extreme cases. In fact, we’ve already forwarded the issue to Facebook for verification, and are now only waiting on their word.”

According to Gallardo, Shangri-La at the Fort will release a proper and formal statement regarding the strange Facebook activity when the investigations are finished.

When asked about the absence on clarification regarding Pestbuster, Gallardo said “Let’s leave Pestbusters out for the time being, and refer back to the statement.” 

Meanwhile, in their most recent statement, Cara said its volunteers are en route to search the areas where Shangri-La at the Fort said it relocated the cats to.

Cara also mentioned it had tried to contact Pestbusters but that they have not received any information or statement from them.

Here's hoping the cats are alright. — LA, GMA News