A Filipino lawmaker is proposing the implementation of a Php3,000 (US$60) entrance levy for locals wishing to gamble in Philippines casinos following the attack on Resorts World Manila by lone gunman and indebted gambler Jessie Carlos.
As reported by The Manila Times, Rep. Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela proposed the levy on Friday, with Php3,000 to be collected from all citizens entering a premises to gamble. The money would go into a special fund to establish youth welfare centers under the supervision of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with at least half of the proceeds to be utilized in the relevant casino’s local area.
The bill states that it “seeks to strengthen regulation of the participation or engagement of citizens in casino gambling by ensuring that those who enter casinos and similar gaming establishments have the financial resources to engage in gambling. A casino entrance charge will serve as a deterrent to those who lack the resources or can ill afford to engage in gambling from entering a casino.”
Rep. Albano’s proposal comes as the agency hired to supply security to Resorts World Manila, N.C. Lanting Security Specialist Agency, was officially relived of its duties following the discovery of serious lapses on the night that Mr Carlos entered the property, resulting in the deaths of 38 people.
They included a failure to “observe the so-called duty-pairing system; lack of training of its guards at the Resorts World in mall security, which could have prevented the worsening of the situation; failure to wear the prescribe uniform and lack of permission for a special set of uniforms for guards,” according to The Manila Times.
Head of the Philippine National Police, Chief Supt. Jose Maria Espino, said, “Lanting has no security plan to ensure compliance with the prescribed security requirement of the PNP, except its deployment plan in the form of its Daily Shifting Detail Order.
“N.C. Lanting Security Specialist Agency is hereby ordered to prohibit guard duties and thereby relieved of its posted guard duties at the entrance of and exits of Maxims Hotel and Newport Mall of Resorts World Manila until further notice.”
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