CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III yesterday called on hotels and resorts to be vigilant in monitoring guests who check in with minors.
In an interview yesterday, Davide said the hotels have a responsibility to protect the minors when they are inside their establishment’s premises.
The governor also expressed support for the passage of the proposed Cebu Anti-Child Sex Tourism Ordinance which recently passed second reading before the Cebu Provincial Board (PB).
If these hotels and resorts “tolerate” the practice, the private owners should be penalized or held accountable by law, he said.
“In a way, if they tolerate this, if they allow these foreigners bringing in minors, in a way they’re liable. They should be on the lookout because that is also their responsibility, the minors are under their care,” Davide told reporters.
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“That should be done, to protect our minors because there are a lot of cases of foreigners preying on them. I support that move of the Provincial Board,” he added.
Based on the draft law, the establishments will be required to “notify or submit a written report on guests checking in or staying with minors” to the Women and Children’s Protection Desks (WCPD) of the local police.
It also grants law enforcement agencies access to copies of the establishment’s security camera footage when investigating a suspected child abuse or human trafficking case.
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