Pagcor: No casino deal with Ho

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) denied yesterday media reports of an alleged deal with Macau gambling tycoon Stanley Ho for any casino project in the country.

"We have not had any kind of talks, deal or agreement with Mr. Stanley Ho in the past. We have no ongoing negotiation with Mr. Ho. Mr. (Ephraim) Genuino (Pagcor chairman) has not even met Mr. Ho," Pagcor spokesman Dodie King told The STAR yesterday.

King stressed that neither do they have any plans for a project with the gambling tycoon.

There were reports that Ho’s visit to the Philippines last Monday had something to do with the change of ownership in PhilWeb Corp., the only company that Pagcor has licensed to operate Internet gambling in the country.

There were, however, no indications that he met with Pagcor officials during his visit.

President Arroyo, for her part, told STAR publisher Max V. Soliven in his ANC TV show "Impact 2004" last night that she did not even know Ho was in town.

The last time she saw Ho, the President said, was when she visited Hong Kong and was treated to a state dinner by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa last year.

Clark Development Corp. president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Angeles also denied yesterday reports that the state-run CDC has forged an agreement with Ho for the establishment of a $4-million casino at the controversial True North property within the Clark special economic zone.

Angeles also debunked reports that the supposed agreement was personally approved by President Arroyo herself during her stay at the presidential "white house" in the city where she stayed to rest for almost the whole day last Tuesday.

"Such a meeting could never have happened since Dr. Ho stayed in the country for only seven hours and left the night before the President arrived at Clark the following morning last Tuesday," Angeles said amid reports that Mrs. Arroyo met with Ho for four hours at Clark.

Malacañang branded as "malicious" the erroneous reports. In a radio interview with Radio Mindanao Network, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the President went to Clark to rest in between campaign sorties to the provinces and to meet with local leaders.

Ho was invited by the Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City to confer upon him a doctorate, honoris causa, in luncheon ceremonies held at the Holiday Inn hotel at the Mimosa leisure estate last Monday.

Ho landed at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in the morning and flew back to Hong Kong the same day after touring Clark and visiting the Angeles University Foundation.

In his acceptance speech, he didn’t mention any plans to invest in Clark.

Ho’s name caught public attention in 1999 when he towed his Jumbo Floating Restaurant from Hong Kong to Manila Bay to manifest his plans to invest in tourism projects in the Philippines. The barge has remained unused at the bay.

Ho was then supposed to invest in the Best World Gaming Corp. controlled by Dante Tan, a close ally of former President Joseph Estrada. But the plan was met with widespread protests.

Mrs. Arroyo’s staunchest rival in the May polls, Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr., yesterday came to the defense of Estrada, saying those who protested against Ho four years ago are now curiously silent.

A freelance reporter wrote that Ho has been offering campaign funds to presidential candidates.

Poe said gambling would be the "least priority" in his administration but noted that PAGCOR "has been helping a lot" in generating government funds.

He said that the administration apparently needs money if the rumors are true that Mrs. Arroyo’s camp has accepted a multi-million donation to the President’s campaign kitty.

"Well, it’s obvious they need money. I don’t know where they’ll use it," Poe told reporters in Danao City. "If only the money reaches the poor people." — With Ding Cervantes, Nikko Dizon