Pagcor to bid out new casino projects

MANILA, Philippines - State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) said new casino projects it would undertake would go through proper bidding procedures.

In a chance interview yesterday, Pagcor chairman and chief executive officer Cristino Naguiat Jr. said the contract for Pagcor’s Casino Filipino Pavilion would have to be rebid once it expires in 2016 but noted that there are no indications yet on whether the casino would be transferred or retained at its present site.

“The Pavilion will expire in 2016 and there will be a bidding. We will go for what will be advantageous to the government,” he said when asked whether Pagcor would be putting up a casino at the site of the historic Army Navy Club in Manila.

Naguiat stressed, however, that there are no definite plans yet as 2016 is still far down the road.

“We have to undergo a bidding process,” he said.

Rep. Terry Ridon of party-list group Kabataan has questioned the demolition and planned conversion of the historic Army-Navy Club (ANC) in Manila into a casino-spa complex.

 “It is yet another instance of big money trumping national historical interest in violation of Republic Act 10066 or the National Heritage Act of 2009,” the lawmaker said.

Naguiat declined to comment on the possibility of a casino being put up at the historic site. He said the Pavilion casino could even be retained at its present site, depending on the results of the bidding.

Ridon has asked the House committee on Metro Manila development to inquire into the casino-spa project.

The developer-project proponent, ,Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corp., is allegedly seeking to convert the Army Navy complex into a casino and spa, the lawmaker said.

Earlier, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has issued a cease and desist order against the developer of the ANC.

The order, issued last September 5, suspends other activities of Oceanville in the property until the NHCP approves the development plan.

“Old structures like this have original components which should still be preserved. Because not all of them are unsound are unusable. And even if they can no longer be used, there are ways to preserve them and integrate them into the new development,” the lawmaker said.