DOT decision on hotel where Christine Dacera was found dead out this week

The decision on whether or not City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City, where Christine Dacera was found dead, would be suspended for alleged health protocol violations will be released this week, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Tuesday.

“This week, we will be giving the final decision,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a virtual press conference.

The hotel faced investigation for accepting guests for leisure purposes even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a January 5, 2021 show-cause order sent to City Garden Grand Hotel, the DOT ordered the hotel to explain within three days why it should not be suspended. 

DOT regional director Woodrow Maquiling Jr. ordered City Garden Grand Hotel general manager Richard Heazon to explain why the hotel continued to accept guests even as rules dictate that this is not allowed for establishments used as a quarantine or isolation facility.

According to the DOT, City Garden Grand Hotel must explain why it should not be suspended or revoked for violation of the foregoing issuances.

“They replied last Friday. We’re still finalizing it [the decision],” Romulo-Puyat said.

“I was hoping to give a decision today pero hindi puwedeng i-rush. But don’t worry this week lalabas,” she said.

Dacera was found lifeless in a bathtub in the hotel after a New Year's Eve celebration with friends on January 1. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

The Makati Police said there were indications of foul play, saying Dacera had bruises and had sexual contact prior to her death. Her family believes she was drugged and raped.

Three of Dacera's 11 companions in the party were arrested and charged with rape and homicide, but were later on released after the Makati Prosecutor's Office ordered further investigation. —KBK, GMA News