House leaders eye Congress authority to issue franchise for casinos

Leaders of the House of Representatives are looking to cut down the powers granted to the Philippine Games and Amusement Corporation (PAGCOR), and require casinos to secure franchises from Congress.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez told reporters on Thursday that they were eyeing to “take back” the franchising power from PAGCOR, following controversies in relation to the agency, the most recent of which involved the attack by a lone gunman inside Resorts World Manila last week that led to the death of 37 victims.

Alvarez, as well as Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, said they would come up with a bill seeking to lessen the agency’s powers.

“Kasi ‘yun talaga ‘yung power ng Congress. All franchises kailangan manggagaling sa Congress. Ngayon parang dinelegate lang ng Congress. Ngayon, I think, kailangang bawiin na ulit ng Congress dahil nga sa dami ng problema na nangyayari, kasama ‘yung nangyari sa Resorts World, itong nagkakagulo sa mga STL (small-town lottery) na ‘yan, kasama po ‘yan,” he said.

Fariñas explained that under Presidential Decree 1869, series of 1983, signed by the late President Ferdinand Marcos, PAGCOR was granted the “sole authority that grants licenses, authorizes (casinos), and regulates them,” plus the task to be a “gambling operator.”

Alvarez, in turn, said that if their upcoming bill becomes a law, it would mean revoking all the licenses issued by PAGCOR, which will be renamed the “Philippine Games and Amusement Authority.”

“Pero bibigyan natin lahat ng one year para mag-apply ng franchises sa Congress. So hihigpitan naman natin ‘yung requirements,” he added.

Fariñas, for his part, dismissed reservations about subjecting casinos to scrutiny of politicians in Congress.

“That’s how it’s done. You get a franchise for a TV station and other public utilities. More so with gambling, because there’s law that prohibits gambling, the law, by that decree, granted the carte blanche to the PAGCOR to be the one licensing all of these,” he said in a television interview.

PAGCOR officials on Wednesday appeared before the joint House inquiry into last week’s attack at the Resorts World Manila, and revealed that one of the violations of the  establishment was its seeming non-compliance to the security advisory issued in light of President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

House leaders, in turn, questioned why PAGCOR did not suspend Resorts World Manila’s operations despite this.

The agency’s chair, Andrea Domingo, noted that the hotel-casino had already “voluntarily” done this.

Fariñas underscored the gravity of the incident, where 37 guests and employees were killed. Domingo said PAGCOR is given 60 days to issue a cease a desist order, but that the hotel must be “given due process.” — MDM, GMA News