Another Filipina from US skipped mandatory quarantine —Tourism chief

Another Filipina from the United States skipped the government’s mandatory quarantine, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Monday. 

In a television interview, Puyat said more reports of quarantine breach have been raised with the Department of Tourism (DOT) after the first reported incident of a returning Filipino woman from the US who attended a party in Poblacion, Makati City while she was supposed to be in isolation.

“After this incident, somebody gave the name and even gave pictures na the day she arrived, nagpa-masahe pa as in she was even posting it on Instagram stories. Very proud ha na (that) she was skipping quarantine and her name was given and the person who knows her even gave a sworn affidavit. Nahuli na rin ‘yung tao na ‘yon (She was already caught),” she said in a CNN Philippines interview.

“I’ve given it already to the [Bureau of Quarantine] and the [Department of the Interior and Local Government] and I will leave it up to them,” she added.

According to the Tourism chief, the returning Filipina went straight to her condominium when she arrived in the Philippines.

“She didn’t even check in a hotel. She just said that she checked in this hotel but it showed that she didn’t even check in a hotel. Dumeretso sa condo niya (She went straight to her condominium),” Puyat said.

In the same interview, Puyat said there are two to three hotels which are allegedly allowing passengers subject to mandatory quarantine to go out and return in the facility on the fifth day of isolation for their COVID-19 tests.

“Kaunti lang ang maa na-identify, mga two to three hotels. We’ve already given these (names) to the Coast Guard, [Philippine National Police], and the BOQ,” she said.

(There are just a few hotels that do that, around two to three hotels only. We’ve already given these to the Coast Guard, PNP, and the BOQ.)

“We remind the hotels especially in the [National Capital Region] na we have news that hindi nagpapakita tapos, nagpapakita lang the day of swab. And they always tell us na nandoon naman daw but I’ve been talking to my colleagues in the government na siyempre ide-deny ‘yan and it’s best to just catch them in action,” she suggested.

(We remind the hotels especially in the NCR that we have news about passengers who did not undergo quarantine and they will only show up on the day of the swab test and they always tell us that the passengers are there but I’ve been talking to my colleagues in the government, saying they will always deny the accusation and it is best to just catch them in action.)

Last week, the DOT has confirmed a report of a returning overseas Filipino woman from the US  who skipped her quarantine at a hotel and even attended a party in Makati, with fellow attendees later testing positive for COVID-19.

The BOQ said a complaint was “ready” against the woman.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had vowed that those who breached quarantine protocols would be held accountable.

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday said some people are allegedly paying hotels so they can skip quarantine.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Año said that sometimes family members and relatives were the ones pressuring people under quarantine to breach the protocols so they can be with them.

Puyat encouraged those who will report about breach in quarantine protocols to give the names of the violator as well as the hotel so they can act on the matter. —KG/RSJ, GMA News