Hotel owners iffy on proposal to convert hotels into temporary hospitals

The Philippine Hotel Owners Association Inc. expressed doubts that the industry can accommodate a proposal to turn some hotels into temporary hospital facilities as National Capital Region (NCR) hotel rooms, much like healthcare facilities, are fully occupied.

“To convert hotels into hospitals, that’s going to be very difficult kasi maraming kailangan to support patients (because there are a lot of things needed to support patients),” Philippine Hotel Owners Association president Arthur Lopez said in an interview on state-run PTV’s Laging Handa briefing on Saturday.

“I don’t know but ang problema wala tayong maibibigay na hotel dahil kawawa naman ang OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] natin (the problem is we can't give any hotel because our OFWs may suffer),” Lopez said.

The hotel industry leader said that hotels in the NCR were fully-booked.

“Why do I say fully-booked? Because OWWA [Overseas Workers Welfare Administration] has taken over these hotels for OFWs that are returning back to the country so we can’t give any hotel para gawing isolation facilities (to convert it into isolation facilities),” Lopez.

“Fully booked also because we do not mix quarantine guests and regular guests dahil baka maghawa-hawa (they might infect each other) so very limited ang available rooms ngayon (the available rooms are very limited for now),” he added.

The Philippine College of Physicians Vice President Dr. Maricar Limpin said their group had written to President Rodrigo Duterte about their proposal to convert some hotels into temporary hospital facilities.

Dr. Jaime Almora, president of the Philippine Hospital Association, earlier said that hospitals were overwhelmed and overrun in light of the surge in COVID-19 cases mainly due to their depleted and overworked manpower.

The severity of the situation prompted Almora to say that the country had already "lost" the war against COVID-19.

But treatment czar Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega believed that the Philippines was not losing its battle against COVID-19, saying that "we are trying to manage the challenge of the surge."

Lopez, meanwhile, said hotels have already lost about 80% to 90% of their revenues since last year and their deal with the OWWA to house returning OFWs is only enough for them to pay their employees and pay utility bills.

He added that hotel owners are willing to support the government.

Lopez noted that the group is supporting the Philippine Red Cross in setting up isolation facilities at the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and the University of the Philippines by providing bed sheets and toiletries. — DVM, GMA News