By Hannah Torregoza
Two senators on Monday pressed the government to probe deeper into the case of an illegal makeshift hospital inside the Fontana Leisure Park in Clark Freeport Zone which was recently raided by law enforcers, following reports that Chinese citizens suspected of being infected of COVID-19 were found inside one of its villas.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that though the resort operators denied any involvement in the issue, he does not believe that Fontana has no control over the property or its operations.
“I don’t buy the statement of Fontana na hindi nila alam (that they don’t know). That’s the most convenient way out, because Fontana is a hotel. They should know what’s happening in their facility,” Gatchalian said in an interview over CNN’s The Source.
“That’s why I call on the government, NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), PNP (Philippine National Police) to file charges against the owners of Fontana and CDC (Clark Development Corporation), to look into revoking the lease contract of Fontana because Fontana is definitely operating in a very illegal manner,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian said Fontana, being a lessee of Clark, should immediately terminate the contract and shun such business within their vicinity.
“We don’t like business people like this operating in our country. It is really shocking to me. They are treating COVID-19 patients and these patients are very infectious, they can infect communities and they are treating patients without government approval,” Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian admitted he finds the latest development “quite very shocking” and is concerned about the medical waste coming out from Fontana.
“Nakakatakot diyan ay yung medical waste. The first thing that jumped to my mind is where do they throw the medical waste? Because medical wastes are highly regulated and restricted,” he pointed out.
“You cannot just open up a hospital, treat and throw all the usual household disposal system. You’re going to contaminate a lot of people,” he lamented.
Senator Leila de Lima, for her part, said she believes these illegal medical facilities catering only to Chinese nationals amid the COVID-19 aim to circumvent detection of COVID-19 infection among Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) workers and shield President Duterte from public outrage for allowing the reopening of POGOs.
“First in Parañaque; now inside Fontana Leisure Park in Pampanga. How many of these underground hospitals and pharmacies catering only to Chinese nationals — possibly for COVID-infected POGO workers as was the case in Parañaque — are operating right under government’s very nose?” De Lima pointed out in her latest statement.
“Kataka-taka namang magsulputang animo’y kabute ang mga ito sa mismong bakuran natin nang hindi alam ng gobyerno na sya namang protektor ng POGO (It’s astonishing that these facilities sprouted like mushrooms within our backyard without the government knowing it despite the fact they are the protectors of POGO),” de Lima stressed.
Aside from attempts to underreport COVID-19 cases in the country and to further compromise the ongoing medical response for COVID-19, De Lima said the operations of illegal hospitals are another instance of the government putting at greater risk public health and safety just to favor business and political interests of those benefitting from POGO operations.
“All these suggest impunity for these Chinese operators and connivance with some government personalities, if not outright protection from higher office, possibly as high there in Malacañang,” the detained senator said.
