Where Filipino traveler went after skipping quarantine in Makati

The returning overseas Filipino woman from the United States who skipped quarantine and attended a party in Poblacion, Makati is set to face a complaint after fellow attendees and restaurant staff tested positive for COVID-19.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat earlier bared that the individual was able to skip the five-day mandatory quarantine due to "connections."

According to Chino Gaston’s “24 Oras” report on Friday, here is the timeline of where she went after skipping her mandatory quarantine:

December 22

She checked in at the Berjaya Makati Hotel after arriving from the United States.

December 23

Her friends picked her up at the hotel to attend a party and visit restaurants in Poblacion, Makati. Their photos also circulated on social media sites.

December 27

Her results showed that she tested positive for COVID-19.

December 30

The Department of Tourism (DOT) confirmed that a returning overseas Filipino from the United States skipped hotel quarantine and even attended a party in Makati, with fellow attendees later testing positive for COVID-19.

Puyat said the woman had confessed to leaving the quarantine hotel.

Contact tracing on the individual is also underway, Puyat said.

December 31

The Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) said a complaint was "ready" against the woman.

For his part, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III vowed that violators of quarantine protocols would be held accountable.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said there could have been a major violation committed if the reports are correct on the part of the person concerned, as well as the individuals who helped the individual commit the violation.

According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), four of those she met last December 23 have tested positive for COVID-19.

“It is possible na more than around 15 people ‘yung nagpositibo kasi yung isang dinaluhan niyang party sa Kampai bar in Poblacion, Makati, around 15 sila dun at ang dami ring nag-positive dun,” DILG Usec. Jonathan Malaya said.

[It is possible that around 15 individuals acquired the viral disease in the party they attended at Kampai bar in Poblacion, Makati.]

“There’s also this other restaurant na pinuntahan niya ‘no, kasi she went to two restaurants. First, pumunta siya sa Mijo restaurant and stayed there for a few hours and then lumipat pa siya sa Kampai bar. So madami talaga siyang close contact,” Malaya said.

[She also went in Mijo restautrant stayed there for a few hours and then went in Kampai bar. So she met a lot of people.]

Meanwhile, the DOT already asked the concerned hotel in question to explain how an individual was allowed to leave a quarantine hotel before finishing the prescribed quarantine period.

Puyat said that failure to comply with health and safety protocols as ordered by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) could lead to criminal and administrative penalties.

The Berjaya Makati Hotel, meanwhile, on Saturday apologized for the incident, saying it was a "very serious breach" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the Berjaya Makati hotel management confirmed reports that a Filipino traveler from the US did not undergo hotel quarantine and even attended a party in Makati.

The hotel said it strives to be fully compliant with the government's COVID-19 rules and protocols, and that it was fully cooperating with all government agencies investigating the incident.

The woman, including her friends, is facing charges for violation of Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.

It has a penalty of P50,000 and imprisonment of one to six months if they are found to have violated the law. —NB/KG, GMA News