BAGUIO CITY — Officials in mountain resort city said they are firm on their stand that there will be no casino in Camp John Hay (CJH) or in any part of the city despite the pressure being exerted by certain Malacañang officials.
Mayor Reinaldo A. Bautista Jr. denied reports there are plans to set up a high-end casino in CJH, saying that there was no communication or application by any company to operate a casino in the former American military rest and recreation center.
The mayor had earlier ordered the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to conduct an investigation on reports about alleged operation of a casino in CJH without the consent of the city government.
The city council had ealier approved a resolution requesting concerned authorities to investigate the alleged casino operation or presence of high-stakes, on-line gambling in the facility.
Bautista said he has already written a letter to the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) regarding the reported casino operation.
He stated in the letter that the city government should be furnished copies of the rules and regulations governing the grant of franchise to casino operators in the country.
The offices of the city officials have been receiving “persistent reports” that the operation of a secret casino has started in CJH.
The council believes that the operation of a casino in CJH is prohibited under its Resolution No. 362, series of 1994, particularly on the conditionalities for the development of CJH, which provides that there should be no casino to be established in the special economic zone.
But since the declaration of 246 hectares of CJH as a special economic zone has been nullified by the Supreme Court (SC), some legal experts said the conditionalities imposed by the city government for the development of the former American rest and recreation center is no longer binding. As a consequence, the national government could do what it wants to do with the facility. It could invoke the doctrine that the national government is superior over the local government units.
Mayor Bautista said what the city could do is to be vigilant of what is happening in CJH so that the city government could avert plans to set up a casino without the consent of the people.
He said the city has been coming out with resolutions expressing the city government’s strong opposition to the operation of casino and all forms of legal and illegal gambling in the city. Gambling, he said, encourages a culture of laziness among the people.
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