By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Two Bacolod City hotels were closed down last Friday for allegedly operating without necessary permits. Based on a document signed by Licensing Officer Stela Rose Rayos, the Bacolod Pension Plaza and the MO2 Westown Hotel-San Juan were shuttered as they were operating without a Mayor’s Permit.
According to the document, the lodging facilities were found in violation of a provision in City Ordinance No. 565 of 2011, which requires them to secure a Mayor’s Permit and pay the necessary fees before they are permitted to operate.
Officials from the City Legal Office Enforcement Team have since visited the two establishments to serve the closure order. The enforcement team padlocked hotel doors and placed a tarpaulin indicating that the establishments were closed.
The closure were all enforced in response to the fire that took place last week at the Java Pension House, which killed six people.
It was later revealed that the Java Pension House also did not have the appropriate permits./DGB, WDJ