The House of Representatives of the Philippines will launch an inquiry into the attack on Resorts World Manila today as it looks to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
The joint probe will be held at the nearby Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal III conference hall and will be a collaboration between the committee on games and amusement – headed by Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting – and the committee on Metro Manila development, which is headed by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo.
Speaking this week, Mr Castelo said the purpose of the inquiry was to determine if there were failures in security protocol and if the incident could have been prevented.
“We will determine the lapses in security of the officers manning the hotel, alleged failure of hotel smoke detectors and sprinkler system and the locked fire exits,” he said.
Added Tambunting, “It’s mind-boggling how a man can bring in a long firearm and gasoline just like that. The public deserves to know what really happened.”
The tragic attack, committed by 42-year-old indebted gambler Jessie Carlos, saw 37 guests and employees of Resorts World Manila lose their lives, many by smoke inhalation and suffocation after Carlos set fire to a number of gaming tables. So far 13 employees and 22 guests have been identified while two victims are yet to be identified.
Although the official inquiry begins today, it has been widely accepted that the incident was not a terrorist act
“The death of so many was actually the unintended consequence of the action and he did not plan it to be that way,” Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla told PhilStar. “It was clear in the video that he did not kill those he met along the way. He did not shoot them. He did not threaten anyone except the security forces he encountered.”
