What started as a perfect Philippine vacation for an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) and her family turned into a nightmare after losing a large amount of money during their stay at a hotel in Quezon City.
Bermalyn Haraki checked in at Icon Hotel on May 14 with her Japanese husband and rented a venue to celebrate their five-month-old son’s baptism. When they came back to their hotel room after having breakfast, the couple discovered that about P27,000 (P15,000 and ¥30,000) was missing from their wallets, which they left inside the room.
The couple notified the hotel’s management about the incident but much to their dismay, no CCTV cameras were installed at the hallway that would have led them to identify a suspect.
Upon further inspection, they discovered that the room door, which uses a key card, could be easily opened by sliding a laminated card at the door jamb (gap between door and doorframe).
When they brought the security concern to the manager on duty, Haraki said there was no immediate action done.
She added that she was asked to comeback January next year and wait for the managing director, who is currently overseas, to settle the issue.
In an attempt to warn other balikbayans planning to stay at the hotel, Haraki posted a video on Facebook showing how they were able to enter the room without using the hotel key card.
“I posted this video based on my experienced during our stay. Until now no justice or whatsoever from the management. This hotel is not safe especially for balikbayan and OFW,” her post read.
But on July 31, Haraki received a subpoena from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) indicating that she was being charged with libel for posting the video on social media, contributing to the loss in sales of the hotel.
Haraki and her family sought the help of broadcast journalist Raffy Tulfo and tried to reach the complainant, Joey Flores, a manager at Icon Hotel.
During the radio broadcast, the hotel picked up the call but a different manager was on duty and could not be pressed for a comment.
Video credit: Raffy Tulfo In Action/Facebook
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