| |
The
Straits Times, 14 Nov 04
Ethnic
Chinese protest against casino in Manila's Chinatown
By Luz Baguioro
Philippines Correspondent
Manila THE ethnic Chinese are up in arms against a casino that the
state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) plans to open
in the heart of Manila's Chinatown. The new casino was supposed to
open on Sept 28, but the company decided to defer it indefinitely
following strong opposition from the minority group.
Chinese community leader Teresita Ang-See said the casino was 'objectionable'
because it would be within walking distance of three churches and
about a dozen high schools and colleges. 'We are not against casinos,
we just don't want them in our neighbourhood,' she said in an interview
recently. According to the plan, the casino would operate from the
Binondo Suites, a hotel situated in a densely populated residential
and commercial area. 'Opening a casino in this area will wreak havoc
on the peace and order of the neighbourhood,' a newly formed group
called Movement Against Gambling wrote to President Gloria Arroyo
recently. 'Gambling breeds all sorts of crimes and ills, including
drug abuse, robberies, thefts and prostitution. We do not need to
corrupt our citizenry in order to raise much-needed funds,' it said.
Most of the the gaming facilities run by Pagcor, which operates 15
casinos and 11 slot-machine arcades throughout the country, are located
in hotels and resorts far from residential areas. The company insists
that the proposed gaming facility in Chinatown is only a 'slot-machine
arcade' exclusive to hotel guests and tourists.
But Ms Ang-See is not convinced. 'They told us the same thing when
they opened the slot-machine arcade in another part of Chinatown a
few years ago,' she said. The Casino Filipino on Ronquillo Street,
which has 369 slot machines, has been admitting students, according
to Chinatown residents. 'The entrance fee was lowered to a measly
50 pesos (S$1.50). Often, students are even allowed to go in for free,'
Ms Ang-See said.
A rally in September by some 2,000 Chinese forced Pagcor to put the
casino plan on hold. 'We have not won the war since they have not
totally abandoned the project. And if we don't continue to protest,
they just might open it one day,' Ms Ang-See said.
The latest uproar is just a reprise of protests three years ago, when
Pagcor first attempted to open a casino at Binondo Suites. As part
of an aggressive expansion programme, the state-run gaming company
plans to open two e-casinos for Internet gaming in other areas of
Chinatown in the coming months. Pagcor launched on-line betting on
cockfights earlier this year despite opposition from the dominant
Roman Catholic Church. Company officials reckon the Internet-based
betting system will generate annual revenues of about 60 billion pesos.
It has also informed the National Telecommunications Commission that
it would operate games of chance through cellphones and the Internet
to generate additional revenues for the government. Pagcor, whose
revenues support key infrastructure projects, national athletes and
the delivery of basic services, brought in 12.75 billion pesos of
revenue in the first seven months to July. |
|
