Iloilo City is still a safe place -- Treñas
City Mayor Jerry Treñas said Iloilo City is still a safe place to live and to visit. The recent murder incident in one of the city’s hotels is only an “isolated case.” It does not mean the city is not safe for the local and foreign tourists, he said.
Treñas issued the assurance as number of local and foreign tourists are still in the city to attend the Chinese New Year celebration and the feast of Our Lady of Candles on February 2 after they have witnessed the yearly Dinagyang festival.
The mayor believes murdered Epi Ramos might have known his assailants. There were no traces of forcible entry in Room 404 of the Eon Centennial Plaza Hotel in Jalandoni Street. It shows the suspects were allowed or given permission to enter the occupied room.
The victim was discovered Tuesday morning in cold blood inside the hotel’s bathroom. He suffered 20 fatal stab wounds on his body. Police theorized robbery is the motive of the killing as the victim's personal belongings such as his laptop computer, digital camera, wallet and money generated from the registration fee of a seminar Ramos is spearheading were lost.
As of press time, the police have yet to release official reports on the identities of Ramos' killers.
Nevertheless, Treñas said the Iloilo City Police Office and the Iloilo Hotels Restaurant and Resorts Association (IHRRA) will discuss security issues to protect their respective business establishments. The security measures in ensuring the safety of their (hotel) guests must be properly exercised, he said.
On the issue that the hotel has no closed-circuit television camera, Treñas said there is no ordinance requiring all hotels, malls and all commercial establishments to set up a CCTV camera. Though, it is a “good investment” in complementing their security measures.
Meanwhile, Department of Tourism assistant regional director Helen Camarista-Katalbas agreed with the chief executive’s post incident assessment of the Ramos incident. It is an isolated case. It will not affect the city as one of the tourism destinations in the country, Katalbas said.
However, she said the incident will leave a mark on the tourism industry since the incident happened in tourism related places like the hotel. There are questions that will arise because of the incident.
The Eon Centennial Plaza Hotel is classified as standard class hotel by the tourism department. Their application for a standard class hotel has already expired and needs to be renewed. The tourism department classifies the hotel based on their available amenities, services and building.