Resorts World Manila President Kingson Sian has asked Philippines gaming regulator Pagcor for permission to re-open the property’s casino following the deadly 2 June attack that saw 38 people lose their lives.
At the third and final House of Representatives joint hearing into the incident on Wednesday, Pagcor chair Andrea Domingo said she had already spoken to Mr Sian in regards to the ongoing suspension of RWM’s gaming license but that any lifting of the suspension would depend upon the company satisfying a comprehensive checklist of safety and security requirements.
Pagcor suspended RWM’s license on 9 June.
“I am preparing a checklist of all the requirements for a safe and secure environment, which we will be giving to them, which they will assure us through formal communication and under oath that they have fulfilled all of these,” Ms Domingo said.
“We have to be sure that our actions are based on what we have learned here and what should be done so that this kind of incident won’t happen again.”
However, Ms Domingo noted that there were other considerations in regards to RWM resuming operations, noting that there were a large number of people relying on the resumption of business.
“It may be callous to mention this, but they have over 6,000 people,” she said of RWM’s employees. “They’re paying their salaries now, but they cannot sustain that indefinitely. They may lose their jobs.
“We are looking into all of these aspects. We want to be very, very careful that when we do act on their request, we’re doing the right thing for everybody.”
RWM revealed during the final hearing that it will permanently close casino operations on its second floor, where the 37 innocent victims lost their lives during the attack. The attacker, Jessie Carlos, later took his own life.
Chairman of RWM operator Travellers International Hotel Group, David Chua, said it was important to remember that the company and its employees are also victims.
“While we grieve with the affected families, let it not be forgotten that we are victims too,” he said. “This was an attack on our home and we lost people who are dear to us.
“We have had no time to grieve as our priority thus far has been to take care of the deceased, their families and the injured. We hope that with the assistance of Congress and the other governmental agencies present we can start the painful and difficult task of rebuilding as it is also our responsibility to take care of our 6,000 staff and personnel.”
Meanwhile, Ms Domingo appeared to pour cold water on calls for a Php3,000 entrance fee to be implemented at all Philippines casinos, noting it would have a negative impact on the industry’s core mass market.
