Wide awake in the City of Dreams

Fireworks lit up the velvet sky above the City of Dreams Manila as the new mega-casino opened Monday in the Philippines, the fastest-growing country in Southeast Asia.

Even as they celebrated the City of Dreams’ opening with a star-studded black-tie gala, the casino’s head honchos — billionaires all — announced a P10-million donation to the fund of the 44 Special Action Force commandos who were slain in a daring and controversial police operation in Mamasapano, Mindanao.

The P10-million donation was announced by Clarence Chung, chairman and president of Melco Crown Philippines.

Sources said President Aquino was originally scheduled to attend the inauguration of the City of Dreams, which has so far generated 5,000 new jobs in a country of 100 million people, but cancelled his attendance due to recent developments.

Still, people were on a roll as optimism in a vibrant economy was strongly felt — from the people trying their luck in the slot machines to the black-tie clad foreign businessmen clicking their champagne glasses as Ne-Yo rocked the stage outdoors and inside the glitter-filled ballroom.

The 6.5-hectare casino complex is a joint venture among SM’s Henry Sy, Australian billionaire James Packer and Lawrence Ho, son of Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho. Over $1 billion has already been poured into the resort-casino.

“The goal is to find the best (sites) in Asia...The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies anywhere in the world. We’ve seen the market really pick up,” Ho was quoted as saying.

The City of Dreams’ focal point is a golden dome, called the “Fortune Egg.” It was the peg of the celebrations — from the ceremonial unlocking of a giant golden egg to symbolize the inauguration to the finale of the five-course meal: a gold powder-dusted chocolate egg with a trove of sweets inside.

The show was opened with classical musical numbers by Jed Madela and Zsa Zsa Padilla, followed by hip hop song and dance numbers by Kelly Rowland and Ne-Yo. Ne-Yo brought the house down with his energy and rhythm, sweeping many ladies off their feet, who took to the elevated dance floors to swing to his beat.

We were wide awake with energy and wonder when we left the City of Dreams.

Manila aims to rival Macau and Las Vegas in terms of gaming revenues, and the “City of Dreams” is the latest in a string of casinos that have opened in recent years.

The new casino is an imposing structure on Manila Bay with six gleaming golden towers surrounding a giant egg-shaped dome, and industry and government leaders hope that it will attract cash-rich tourists from other parts of Asia.

Loren: It feels good to be free

Sen. Loren Legarda told last Tuesday’s Bulong Pulungan lunch forum at the Sofitel that freedom from further political aspirations has enabled her to truly focus on her work in the Senate, where she will serve till 2019.

“After I lost my political ambition, when I was no longer planning any campaign, I became more focused and passionate in my job,” said Loren, who turned 55 last Jan. 28.

As senator, she wants to focus on nature and culture, believing that culture generates jobs and helps in poverty alleviation and binds a divided nation.

Loren proudly reveals that the “Hibla” textile museum she set up at the National Museum, which showcases indigenous fiber and materials, is attracting many local and foreign visitors.

“If you give our women a handloom, which costs about P5,000 each, you partially solve the country’s unemployment problem,” she believes.

Because of her love of indigenous textiles, Loren finds that when she opens her closet, “I see the entire Philippines!”

Asked her sentiments on the killing of the 44 SAF commandos in Mamasapano, Loren says slowly, “It was a tragedy no one wanted, not the President, not the PNP, not even the MILF.”

“Having studied national security (she is a lieutenant colonel in the reserve force), I can see that, clearly, there was no coordination. And this is admitted by all sides because it was a secret operation. In my opinion, there was a failure of intelligence. But having said that, I do not want to preempt the results of the investigation of the truth commission, the PNP, or the Senate,” she adds.

Loren wants authorities to reassess the sincerity on both parties — the government and the MILF.

***

Loren, who is unmarried, says she is unattached and not dating anyone. For now, as she claims, it’s “nature and culture” that light up her life. And she’s glad she’s “free” to do that.

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)