RCB: Motels not compliant with Children’s Welfare Code

The Regulatory and Complaint Board (RCB) on Wednesday conducted a second round of inspection in inns and motels only to find out that compliance to city regulations

is still poor despite their intensified campaign.

A team composed of the City Health Office, Office of the Building Official (OBO), City Tourism Office, among others visited six inns which include Cubicle Inn, City Lodge, Westin Tourist Inn, Will’s Place, Kyross Inn, and Sante’s Place- the inns which RCB identified are where rape incidents and prostitution usually take place.

Although the team noted partial compliance, most of the inns still did not have a log book for minors, not compliant to fire safety standards, outdated business permit, and failed to provide health cards for their employees.

Lawyer Edgardo Uy, RCB chairman meanwhile vowed that the full force of law will be imposed against the violators, citing 4 possibilities which the city government can do to the non-compliant inns.

This includes imposition of fine, suspension of business permit, cancellation of business permit which would mean the closure of the business establishment and the filing of criminal charges for violating the city ordinance.

“Atong iencourage nga mag comply gyud religiously, dili kay taphaw lang nga compliance kay protection man ni sa minors and in so doing ma promote nato ang business nga compliant with regulations so ang customers kampante (We encourage them to comply religiously, not only partial compliance because we are protecting the minors and in so doing, we can promote them also as compliant with regulations and their customers will feel secured),” Uy said.

The team checked Sante’s place again after they rescued 12 minors there for prostitution, but the RCB said there were no changes imposed in the establishment.

RCB secretary Antonio Resma Jr. said the inn still did not have a log book for minors.

“We will have a meeting with the board and come up for recommendations and decide if these inns should be penalized and determine the extent of the penalties that we should impose. Our campaign is to make Cagayan de Oro a child-friendly city, we are not taking away their rights to check in in these motels, but our interest is to protect our minors,” Resma said.

Resma said the mayor can order the closure, but will base his actions upon the recommendations of the RCB.