Not everyone is in favour of Pagcor’s intention to turn the Philippines into a gambling mecca. Early last month the State run amusement and gaming corporation (Pagcor) signed an agreement to build a 5-star hotel, restaurants, casino and resort facilities on a 13.5 hectare site in the Clark Special Economic Zone on a former US military base. Last year Pagcor said that up to US$20 billion would be spent on a project intended to bring tourists to an area of reclaimed land in Manila Bay. Last week came the announcement of foreign investment for the Manila Bay development of an entertainment city.

The head of the Catholic Bishops Conference has challenged Pagcor to find alternative ways to help the poor, reiterating that the Philippine Church stood against all forms of gambling, legal or illegal. Three retired bishops did agree to attend the groundbreaking ceremony to bless the project as Pagcor had changed the concept from a gambling city to a tourism city. The present Archbishop has said that gambling is not the way to channel money to the poor but the Church did approve of the tourism element of the project, without casinos.

Another group against the bay front development is the local fishermen. Claiming that the few remaining small fishing villages would be displaced, the fishermen say that Pagcor should not be allowed to turn a certified communal fishing ground into an international gambling resort. In the 1990s around 3,500 homes of fishermen and their families were demolished when the Manila Bay casino project was initiated. The original casino deal at that time was annulled by the Supreme Court. (E-04.07.08)

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