Boracay Resort Sandcastle Resort Seige Takeover by Armed Gunmen
The Sandcastle Resort was Raided last Wednesday night November 5 2008. around 10:00 pm, 12 –15 Armed Thugs - some who had their faces hidden by Ski mask’s cut power and Telephone lines to the property when they stormed in Breaking the front Glass doors at the Resort, then forced Startled Resort staff and Resort Security to one area of the resort. Three people were alleged to be injured including one resort Ladyguard who was forced down and hogtied while the rest of the resort was overtaken. Tourist Guests were also forced to Flee for safety while being terrorised by the armed Intruders.
The Australian Resort Owner Greg Hutchison, his Filipina wife Vivica and their5 year old twin children became sieged in one of their Resort Apartments on the third floor that is part of the Sandcastle resort. There was no escape route for them as the masked men had barricaded their rear door with heavy Gas Bottles. By this time the armed men had taken over the whole resort and surrounded the apartment Complex
The first floor and second floors of the Apartment complex were also taken over by the invaders. By all intents and purposes the Hutchisons were Locked in Hostages in fear for their own safety in their own resort. It Became a Hostage Seige situation.
At some time later in the evening the Staff were allowed to leave and Police assisted to defuse the stand off situation between the Hutchisons and the Invaders who by now had been identified as Guards Hired by The Lot owner Editha Meren and a previous Sub lessee Evangeline Danilo. They were responsible for organising the siege of the resort and planned to take over the resort.
The lot owner Editha Meren is the sister of the Boracay Mayor Ceciron Cawaling.
Greg Hutchison has a 20-year lease agreement and a further 10-year lease agreement that allows him to operate his property the Sandcastle resort until 2019. The payment is forepaid until 2010 so it seems there are no legal grounds for this OJ Style Siege and hostage drama or the Takeover of the resort.
Boracay Police have disarmed the security personnel and posted their own officers oat the site for protection and thee is now no hostage situation. On Monday November 10
Greg Hutchison is expected to apply to the Kalibo Regional Trial Court to apply a previous Status Quo order issued by the court allowing him Possession of the Resort Property until the court resolves pending Petitions.
Hutchisons Lawyer Oscar Tagamolila said “ We will ask the court to intervene so that the other parties will be ordered to leave the premises of the Propertyâ€ÂÂÂ. He also said “Judge Lebilia Aragona-Biliran of the Kalibo RTC Issued an order in November 2007 which allowed his client Continued Possession of the Property until the Full court Resolution of the Petition for the issuance of an injunction and temporary Restraining order.
Hutchison had Filed the Petition to Block the Termination of the Lease agreements with Editha Meren.
Tagamolila said that the Takeover by Meren violated the previous court order. They were also planning to file criminal charges against Meren, Danilo and the Armed men who occupied the Resort Property.
Many Guests had prepaid their accommodation and were now distraught about the whole invasion incident which had left them without their rooms.
The Hutchisons have owned the resort for nearly 20 years and have spent millions of dollars on buildings and infrastructure at the Sandcastle Resort. Its simply something we would not have done unless we had a secure Lease agreement Vivica Hutchison stated.
What happened at the on Wednesday night was far worse than what OJ Simpson did in the US and we all know how many years he got for taking the law into his own hands by storming a property in a simular way. If the Police and Justice departments are really serious about protecting Peoples rights in the Philippines and on Boracay in Particular then they should enact the full force of the law against those that organised the siege hurt staff, frightened Guests and kept the Hutchisons Hostage that night. Also the international image of safety on Boracay Island is at stake. These Violent actions should not have take place and must be condemned by the Police, Courts and Government.
story taken here:
http://forums.abs-cbn.com/2978722/ShowThread.aspx by boracayman
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watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir1mlge8H4gsorry for the poor quality of the audio.
this really shows how awful justice is here in the philippines...
they abuse their powers to get what they want.
