"Singaporean" absconds hotel in Dumaguete

CEBU, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration and the Singaporean Embassy have been alerted about a suspected scammer, who earlier identified himself as a Singaporean national and who allegedly absconded a hotel in Dumaguete City.

Bethel Guest House front office department supervisor Jo Anne Catacutan reported to the Dumaguete City Police that the one who ran off with hotel dues and several valuable items was identified, based on the papers recovered from his room, as a certain Jonathan Lee Seng Tan, purportedly a resident of No. 87 MacPherson Road, Singapore 348489.

The document found in the room of the "Singaporean" was an affidavit of loss, executed Aug. 20, 2013 before notary public Conrado Concepcion Jr. It stated that he lost his bag from thieves while walking at the Quezon Park. The bag contained an Alcatel Blaze mobile phone, a Samsung Galaxy S4 mobile phone, P10,000 and US$500 cash, a Singaporean passport and assorted clothings.

According to Catacutan, the hotel accommodated and booked Tan since his arrival in Dumaguete from Bacolod. The hotel also helped him made calls with his alleged relatives and even with the Embassy, but only to find out that he was gone last Sept. 1, a Sunday.

Catacutan alleged that Tan had unpaid dues with the hotel, such as room and meals amounting to P19,506.52 and a cellphone load of P1,550. He also absconded off with a cellphone unit and charges, owned by the hotel supervisor, plane ticket worth P4,206, a 17-inch Macbook Pro laptop and an iPhone, reportedly owned by a local pastor. (FREEMAN)