The villa converted into an underground medical facility is operated by the Shidaikeji Technology Corporation, according to the Fontana Leisure Park management who denied involvement in illegal activities.
In a statement, Fontana Development Corporation Assistant General Manager Simon Wu said: “Fontana has absolutely no involvement or participation in the alleged illegal operation, and does not and will never condone any illegal activity within our leased property.”
“The subject villa has long been transferred as a residential villa to and placed under the exclusive control of Shidaikeji Technology Corporation, a longtime locator of the Clark Freeport Zone,” said Wu.
Joint elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Regional Field Unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Region III, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) on Monday raided an underground hospital inside the Fontana.
The villa located at 628 Florida St. was converted into a 7-bed capacity hospital where Chinese nationals were treating possible cases of COVID-19.
A lone patient, allegedly a COVID-19 confirmed case, was being treated at Fontana makeshift medical facility when the government authorities arrived. The Chinese medical facility was immediately closed.
Two Chinese nationals — Ling Hu, 45 years old, alleged owner of the medical facility; and pharmacist Seung-Hyun Lee, 38 years old, were taken to the PNP Regional Office in Camp Olivas, City of San Fernando, pending filing of appropriate charges.
However, Wu said the two Chinese nationals “were released on the same day of the arrest, with no charges or cases filed against them.”
“Fontana has absolutely no control over the property or the operations in the Shidaikeji villa. In fact, all of Fontana casino and junket operations in its own properties have long been suspended in compliance with the government-mandated community quarantine. Fontana has zero operations at present, and we were going to resume our casino operations after the lifting of the community quarantine,” said Wu.
Wu quoted the Shidaikeji management as saying that “they were using their villa to attend to their own employees’ needs and that they are not operating as a COVID-19 clinic.”
At least 490 workers of Shidaikeji had been tested for COVID-19 and results will be available in three weeks.
Wu said Fontana “supports the Philippine Government in its battle against COVID-19.” “Our Fontana Convention Center, for which we invested billions of pesos, is currently being used by the government as an isolation and quarantine facility for PUIs.
“We have allowed the use of said structure as a COVID=19 quarantine facility at absolutely no cost to the government.”
Wu furthered “there is no confirmed positive COVID-19 case, PUI or PUM among all Fontana employees or within our company.”