Police yesterday filed charges of multiple homicide and multiple physical injuries against William Tan Genato, owner of the Quezon City Manor Hotel that was hit by the country's worst fire disaster in five years, claiming the lives of at least 80 people and injuring many others.

In a related development, according to radio dzMM, the police raided the city engineer's office in Quezon City to secure documents involving the Manor Hotel.

Reports said the authorities feared that city officials involved in granting permits to the six-storey budget hotel, despite various violations of building and fire code, would destroy documentary evidence.

Officers at the Central Police District (CPD) said the charges levelled against Genato resulted from grave negligence and reckless imprudence with regard to his hotel on Kamias St. in Quezon City.

The hotel had neither a fire alarm system nor fire exit doors. Genato, who has expressed willingness to surrender, has yet to turn himself in to the authorities. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and millions of pesos in fines.

Police said the six-storey hotel violated the fire code, citing its obstructed fire exits that left dozens of people trapped inside their rooms after the fire broke out before dawn on Saturday.

Sr. Supt. Romeo Villafuerte, chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection said his office has asked the Bureau of Immigration to place Genato on its hold-departure list. Villafuerte also said the bureau had warned the hotel earlier this month that it was in violation of the building code, but that the owner had failed to correct these deficiencies.

Yesterday, Fire Marshall Chief Supt. Francisco Senot said his office would shut down the William Hotel, another budget establishment owned by Genato, until it complies with the building code.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. yesterday blamed the city's Fire Marshall over the hotel's various violations of the building and fire code.

He said that while Fire Marshall Ricardo Nemenzo had done his job by inspecting the structure, he should have seen to it that the hotel owner complied with the requirements stated in the code.

Interviewed over radio dzMM, Ombudsman Aniano Desierto said he had created a three-man fact-finding team to look into the case of the ill-fated budget hotel. He said government officials who were found liable would face criminal and administrative charges.

Desierto expressed fears that the Manor case could be another Ozone Disco (also in Quezon City) tragedy in which 162 youngsters were burned to death in March 1996, since city officials handling building permits were "too lax" in issuing them despite various violations.

Interior and Local Government Sec. Jose Lina told radio dzMM that his office would close buildings found not complying with the safety measures of the Bureau of Fire Protection.

"Buildings found with deficiencies will have to be under a preventive closure until the deficiencies are corrected," he said.

The pre-dawn blaze that hit hotel trapped, injured and killed most of its 200-odd guests due to locked fire escapes and immovable anti-burglar metal grilles installed on balconies.

Many of those who died were members of 'God's Flock', a born-again Christian sect whose head ministry in the United States is the television evangelist group, the 'Don Clowers Ministry' of Texas.

The God's Flock members came from the different rural areas all over the country, and were in Manila attending a sect conference.