Australian couple's unpaid bills worry resort

CEBU, Philippines - An Australian national and his Filipino wife who have been renting a room at a beach resort in one of the villages in Talisay City were again summoned by barangay officials yesterday regarding their unpaid bills which now has reached P90,000.

"Gi-report nalang namo sa barangay kay di man sila mobayad sa ilang bill, niabot na gyud og P90,000," said the resort supervisor.

The resort supervisor said the owners were thinking of filing criminal charges against the couple but decided against it after they left a land title as collateral for unpaid obligations.

The couple checked out from the resort yesterday together with a six-month-old child and a seven-year-old, who had been with them since they rented the room in July.

The police together with representatives from the city social welfare office went to the resort to supposedly rescue the two minors, but the group wasn't home.

According to the resort supervisor, the couple had no income and was only waiting for their lot in the City of Naga to be sold.

He said to prevent the couple from incurring additional expenditures, the resort had stopped providing food to the couple, but allowed the family of the woman to bring in food for them.

The couple has been at the resort since July 23 this year, and according to the supervisor, their bills have piled up. He said the Australian has also loaned some money from the resort to reportedly use it to process documents and to buy milk for the infant.