Vegas-style casino, tourism complex project underway

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) is reinventing itself.

The groundbreaking of the Bagong Nayong Pilipino-Manila Bay Integrated City or Tourism City shows that Pagcor is no longer into just gambling but is now offering full-scale entertainment.

Pagcor chairman and chief executive officer Efraim Genuino led the groundbreaking ceremony at 4 p.m. yesterday of the Tourism City at the Reclamation Area in Parañaque City. They buried a capsule that contained the plans for the construction.

The first phase of the construction of Tourism City would cover 90 hectares of the Reclamation Area. Pagcor hopes to complete the project and make it operational within two years.

Pagcor is usually associated with gambling but under the leadership of Genuino, it hopes to show a different and more family-oriented side of the company.

“This project represents Pagcor’s shift from mere gaming into wholesome, family-oriented recreation and entertainment. With this, we aim to make Pagcor the catalyst for economic progress and national development,” Genuino said.

With the help of the investors and the support of government officials and agencies, they hope to “transform this barren land into one of the most exciting tourism destinations in the world.”

Father Artemio Fabros, vicar of the Nueva Señora de Guia Church (more popularly known as the Ermita Church), took part in the blessing ceremony along with some Roman Catholic bishops.

He explained that he was present because the Pagcor office in Ermita is under their jurisdiction and that he does not fear being reprimanded by his superiors.

“It never crossed my mind that I would be sanctioned. Besides, this project is more of tourism than gambling. Its aim is to promote the common good and we need to bless it,” he said.

Fr. Fabros’ views were supported by Dr. John Florentine Teruel P.P., who is the patriarch and founding bishop of the Apostolic Catholic Church.

“If we would only look at it in a positive way, why should we stop the plans of building an entertainment city which would bring in money from all over the world and the government would not even spend a single cent. It would also bring in employment,” he said.

He added that Pagcor would be implementing security measures that would safeguard the interest of its players. They would not allow financially deprived people from playing in their casinos.

Genuino said that the presence of the religious leaders in the groundbreaking ceremony shows that they have gained the support and understanding of Church officials. He assured them that only five percent of the property would be used for gambling.

Parañaque Mayor Jun Bernabe said the entertainment city will generate around 250,000 jobs, and the city government stands to earn about P1 billion from business permits, license fees and building permits when it starts operations.

Edward “Dodi” King, Pagcor-Corporate Communications and Services Department senior managing head, said Genuino started planning for the Tourism City since 2001, but they had difficulty in getting the project off the ground because their franchise was due to expire in July 2008.

He said it would be difficult to invite investors to come in if the franchise will expire. It was a good thing that Congress decided to grant them an extension.

The Tourism City hopes to boost tourism arrivals in the country by over three million annually.

As the country’s sole gaming regulator and main tourism supporter, Pagcor will oversee the development of the estimated $15-billion project.

Genuino said the hotels to be erected in the area would have a total of between 6,000 to 8,000 rooms.

There would be six-star hotels, gaming facilities, shopping malls, museums, cultural centers, sports arenas, residential villages, and theme parks.

So far, Pagcor has approved four project concepts from Aruze Corp., Genting Berhad Group, Bloombury Investments Limited and locally-based SM Investments Corp. - Evelyn Macairan