Sin to Stanley Ho: Don't drag Vatican into the picture

Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin lashed at Macau casino king Stanley Ho yesterday for using the Vatican to defend his integrity by publicizing a photograph showing him in full Knight of St. Gregory regalia.

"I find it bad taste that his 10-year-old-portrait as a Knight of St. Gregory is being used to present him in the media... The Holy See should not be dragged into the picture," Sin said in a statement.

Ho, credited for turning Macau into Asia's biggest casino center, poured in $30 million last year in the Philippine gaming and leisure firm BW Resources Corp., and he also has plans in investing in hotels and housing projects.

In an interview with Che-che Lazaro of the Probe Team aired last night over GMA Channel 7, Ho said he will definitely promote tourism and not gambling in the Philippines.

Asked if he will push such an industry via gambling, he said there is no need for such games in Manila because "you already have enough gambling."

He also categorically said he will not open a casino here.

"I don't need anymore to run casinos in the Philippines," he said.

Ho likewise denied claims of being a member of the so-called Luen Kung Lok Triad.

"I have nothing to do with triads... I don't think I have ever heard of such a name," he added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also said it had no information regarding Ho's alleged illegal activities.

Malacañang, trying to play down a controversy surrounding the gambling mogul and his plans to invest in the country, also said the government did not monitor the background of people making legitimate investments.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon told reporters that his office does not have any information on Ho.

"You can ask (PNP chief) Deputy Director General Panfilo Lacson about that. We don't deal with that," Siazon said.

"We do not have restrictions on particular individuals or background checks," Presidential Spokesman Fernando Barican said.

"The restrictions are on the type of projects perhaps prohibited by the Constitution... but not in terms of the individuals who are bringing the money," he said.

Lacson said they have "raw" information regarding Ho's activities, but these have yet to be confirmed from other "sources."

Ho's knighthood was given in 1989 "most likely ... as a recognition of benefactions for the Church and the poor many years ago."

But Sin noted that Ho has apparently "abused" the "papal award and the graciousness of the Holy See by his having engaged in gambling.

"The church can be victimized by her unfaithful sons," Sin said.

The prelate added "the Church has no control over the business undertakings of its members and honorees. The papal knighthood should have challenged him to lead a morally upright life."

Sin has also joined lawmakers in welcoming plans by Ho to cancel his gaming and real estate investments if he is not wanted in the country.

"I am pleased to hear that Stanley Ho is considering withdrawing his plans to come to Manila to run a floating restaurant and casino," the cardinal said.

"Another gambling opportunity for Filipinos will not contribute to our growth as a nation," he said.

The Catholic Church has accused President Estrada, who has supported Ho's investment plans, of promoting a culture of gambling in Asia's bastion of Christianity.

Mr. Estrada said on Monday he would not attempt to dissuade Ho from withdrawing because this might be "misinterpreted again" by the media. Barican however said any pullout could affect investors confidence.

But some business leaders said the impact would not be as damaging as feared by some.

"I think it's much better that we don't have gambling investors here," said Alberto Fenix, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"Ho's pullout does not affect the market," added Guillermo Luz, executive director of the influential Makati Business Club. "It's not really an investment in productive assets to begin with. It's not high on the government's priority list."

Still, the Savoy Group, a New Zealand-based investment concern, said it will plow $40 million into BW Resources.

Savoy chairman and chief executive officer Jihong Lu said the money will supplement an earlier investment of $10 million. He did not say when the fresh funds will be infused.

Lu was a former BW chairman who ceded the post to Ho last October.

"Given the weakness of the market, there is no better time to do it than now," said Lu, who added that Savoy does not plan to take control of BW.

BW's share price has fallen sharply since hitting P107 on Oct. 11, the day Ho was appointed chairman. Wild swings in BW shares have triggered investigations into allegations of price fixing. Yesterday, BW fell to P8.20.

BW is also at the center of a row between President Estrada and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Perfecto Yasay, who claims Mr. Estrada pressured him into clearing BW stockholder Dante Tan of any wrongdoing in the alleged stock price manipulation.

Tan, who incorporated his bingo gaming operations into BW last year, is reportedly a close associate of Mr. Estrada and a donor to his presidential campaign.

Congressmen are asking Yasay to provide them with documents that showed the President's instruction for the SEC chairman to stop the probe on BW Resources.

Meanwhile, an opposition congressman revealed that Ho, just like presidential friend Mark Jimenez, is also wanted in the United States for campaign law violations.

Assistant Minority Leader Hernani Braganza (Lakas, Pangasinan) said Ho and Jimenez were among several contributors involved in the 1999 fund-raising scandal that rocked the Clinton administration.

Braganza said Ho and Jimenez are listed in an official report by the government reform and oversight committee of the US House of Representatives as among those with illegal contributions.

"Not only is Ho linked to the illegal drug trade, he is also being sought in the US for his involvement in the Democrats' campaign finance scandal," he said.

Braganza urged the President to terminate his association with the Macau gambling mogul and his friend Jimenez.

"He may be accused by Washington of deliberately coddling certain personalities being sought by US authorities, and this could hurt our diplomatic ties with the US," he said.

"First, there was Jimenez, a fugitive from the US criminal justice system. Now comes Ho, also a fugitive," he added.

Jimenez, formerly known as Mario Crespo, is fighting extradition to America where he is facing illegal contribution, tax fraud and conspiracy charges. -- With Marichu Villanueva, Jess Diaz, Mike Frialde, Liberty Dones, Jaime Laude, wire reports

The Pangasinan lawmaker also urged Mr. Estrada to reject all investments Ho wants to pour into the country.

"We badly need investments to keep our economy afloat, but we are not that desperate to solicit assistance even from people with dubious background and agenda," he said.

He said Ho's and Jimenez's names appeared in the US congressional records because they refused to testify in the inquiries conducted by American lawmakers on illegal campaign contributions.

"To date, 120 witnesses connected with the campaign finance investigation have either fled the country or asserted Fifth Amendment (right against self-incrimination) privileges. Many of these witnesses were associates of the central fund-raising figures, all of whom refused to cooperate with the committee," said the government reform and oversight committee in its report.

"The extraordinary number of potential witnesses who either fled the country or invoked their Fifth Amendment rights is a strong indication of the unusual level of illegal activity that occurred during both the 1992 and 1996 election cycles," the report said.

In other developments yesterday, the Pasay City government said it will block the opening of Ho's floating restaurant at the Manila Bay if the company fails to get the necessary permits before Sunday.