Manor fire aftermath: Six more QC officials reliev

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. relieved from their posts yesterday six more City Hall personnel in the aftermath of last Saturday’s fire that razed the budget Manor Hotel, leaving 73 people dead and over 50 others injured.

This developed as the police expanded their investigation on the worst hotel fire to hit the country in decades to determine criminal liability of the wife of hotel owner William Genato.

Belmonte ordered earlier the relief of business permit and licensing office chief Rafael Galvez and engineering head Alfredo Macapugay who were allegedly responsible for the issuance of permits to the tragedy-stricken five-story hotel on Kamias Road in Kamuning, Quezon City.

Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) head Chief Superintendent Francisco Senot also fired on Saturday city Fire Marshal Ricardo Lemence.

Relieved yesterday were Romeo Montallana, chief of electrical division; Gerardo Villaseñor, electrical inspector; and Godfrey Colet, Jose Caluag, Voltaire Padilla and Willy Jerez, all of the business permits and licensing office.

Belmonte said the sacked employees were believed responsible for the issuance of the permit to operate the Manor Hotel.

Belmonte expressed surprise that Jerez, a mere utility man, was involved in the issuance of the business permit to the Manor Hotel.

"How can a utility man have a hand on something sensitive like signing a business permit?" Belmonte asked.

He said the relief of the six personnel would pave the way for the conduct of an impartial investigation of the case.

He said the police are poised to file administrative and criminal charges against the involved City Hall officials and personnel, as well as the hotel owners before the Office of the Ombudsman.

At the same time, Belmonte announced that retired Supreme Court Justice Abraham Sarmiento would head the civilian fact-finding committee that would assist the city government in the inspection of business establishments’ compliance with public safety regulations.

The mayor also scored the BFP for failure to submit to his office a list of establishments with violations of the building code.

"This is very strange. They (BFP) are working independently when in fact, they should let us know the establishments violating the building code for us to use it as basis for holding the issuance of permits," Belmonte said.

Former City Administrator Nesito Hilario said at least 20 other buildings in the city have been declared fire hazards. Among them are the Burgundy Plaza on Katipunan Road, Garden View Tower Condominium on N. Domingo street, a church of the National College of Business Arts and Occidental Data Corp. in New Manila.

President Arroyo reportedly owns a unit at Burgundy Plaza, a 24-story edifice, which allegedly has no fire escape and other fire safety facilities.

Senior Superintendent Danilo Cabrera of the BFP said he may lodge charges of "reckless endangerment resulting to multiple deaths and injuries" against Rebecca Genato, wife of William Genato, who was listed as president of the Manor Hotel.

Similar complaint, which carries the maximum penalty of six years imprisonment, was filed earlier against Mr. Genato, who reportedly went into hiding soon after fire gutted his hotel.

Police have launched a manhunt for Genato, who has sent surrender feelers to Belmonte and certain police officials.

Cabrera also padlocked the Genato-owned Sir William’s Hotel on Timog Avenue in Quezon City after inspectors discovered that it violated several provisions of the fire code.

He said the probers were trying to find out if anyone else is involved in the management of the hotel.

Most victims of the blaze succumbed to suffocation after being trapped inside the bathrooms where they apparently tried to seek refuge from the thick, black smoke that engulfed the building.

Several of the fatalities were seen earlier gripping the anti-burglar iron grills on the windows and balconies of the hotel, crying, shouting and begging for help, as firefighters and bystanders could only watch, unable to do anything to help them.

Arson probers said a short-circuit in the ceiling of a third floor stockroom sparked the blaze.

Thick smoke spread quickly through the stairways and ventilation shaft, and accumulated in the upper floors where most of the victims were sleeping.

Electricity was cut off during the fire which broke out shortly after 4 a. m., plunging the hotel into total darkness.

Survivors said fire escapes and emergency exits were either blocked or locked, resulting in the high number of casualties.

Officials also said the hotel did not have water sprinklers and emergency lights.

Belmonte said the hotel’s business permit expired last June 30 and was not renewed or extended.

Probers also said the hotel has been stealing electricity through illegal "jumpers" attached to power lines, and failed to comply with previous orders from city fire officials.

The mayor said he is investigating allegations of negligence against some city officials responsible for safety inspections and business licenses.

The six booted out were junior city staff.

Meanwhile, Lemence welcomed his relief and the ensuing investigation, saying it would pave the way for a thorough and impartial investigation.

"This would give a fair chance to clear my name and my integrity," Lemence said in a statement.

For her part, Mrs. Genato denied most of the accusations against them.

"We have complete safety precautions. We have alarm systems and we also have fire hose system and complete fire exits," she said in a television interview.

She admitted having received two notices of fire code violations in the past, adding they had corrected most of the alleged deficiencies.

She said the windows were barred because somebody had attempted to commit suicide by jumping out the hotel window.

Most of the victims were attending a charismatic crusade sponsored by the Texas-based Don Clowers Ministries.

Lina bats for stronger fire safety law

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. urged Congress to amend the fire and building codes by making safety violations a capital offense.

Lina noted that the present law was too soft, imposing a relative light penalty even if the violations resulted in multiple deaths.

"We need to give more teeth to the existing penalties to impress upon the building owners of hotels and similar establishments that they cannot gamble with the life of their customers and get away with it," Lina said.

He pointed out that the case of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and frustrated homicide filed against the Manor owners carries only a maximum penalty of six years imprisonment.

"This penalty can be considered peanuts if we are to compare it with the damage inflicted to the lives of the victims, as well as their families and relatives. Likewise, it would not deter owners from committing flagrant violations of public safety measures," Lina said.

He proposed that the existing penalty be increased to 20 years imprisonment for cases involving multiple deaths.

In another move, Lina created a task force that will conduct a separate probe to determine the criminal and administrative liability of BFP officials in connection with the Manor tragedy. "We cannot discount the fact that our own people may have been remiss in their duty, that is why the hotel managed to continue operating despite violations of existing fire and safety regulations."

The influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines supported calls by several quarters for stricter implementation of public safety regulations. – With reports from Sandy Araneta, Perseus Echeminada