P.1-M hotel bill lands cop, woman in jail

MANILA, Philippines - A Manila policeman and his female companion were jailed at the Manila Police District (MPD) yesterday morning for failing to immediately settle their hotel bill, which reached nearly P100,000. 

Police Officer 3 Giles Imperial of the MPD’s explosives and ordnance division and Theresa Watchanee de Jager were detained at the MPD’s general assignment section yesterday morning until they settled the bill in the afternoon.

Miguel Catacutan, the hotel’s front office manager, charged them with estafa.

In his complaint to Police Officer 2 Marlon Anonuevo, Catacutan said the two stayed in the hotel for five days, occupying a room worth P9,395 per day until their bill hit P99,343.60.

Catacutan said Imperial and De Jager were informed of the running bill on Jan. 26 while the two were in the hotel’s coffee shop. Imperial told him the he would settle the bill by 6 p.m. that day.

“But he did not. So I decided to bring them here,” Catacutan told investigators. 

In an interview with The STAR, Imperial said he had no intention to skip on the hotel bill. “The money just got delayed. We have been released,” he said.