Presidential hopeful refuses hotel bill<\/p>\n
PHILIPPINES: A fringe candidate in May's presidential election
\nin the Philippines was threatened with arrest on Wednesday after
\nrefusing to pay a hotel bill for his campaign staff, police said.<\/p>\n
Eddie Gil, who is scoring less than 1 percent in opinion polls
\nahead of the May 10 vote, barred himself in his room when staff
\nof the VIP hotel in this southern city summoned police to have
\nhim arrested.<\/p>\n
After a standoff lasting several hours, Gil agreed to pay his
\nand his staff's bill amounting to 35,000 pesos (US$625) in cash.
\nHe had earlier issued a check that bounced.<\/p>\n
"We will let them go because they already paid," said local
\npolice precinct chief Celso Muntil.<\/p>\n
Gil checked into the hotel on Wednesday with some 200 staff
\nand supporters from Manila.<\/p>\n
A local bus association also said he had paid its members a
\ntotal of 400,000 pesos to join his motorcade through the city.
\nThose checks also bounced, police said.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the Gil camp said the presidential hopeful,
\nwho claims to be a multimillionaire businessman and international
\nbanker, had also agreed to pay the bus operators back. -- AFP<\/p>",
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