'Santa Claus' is coming to town
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September 15, 2003
I DON'T need to justify why I'm not against the idea of having a casino in Cagayan de Oro. I'm not addicted to gambling but I don't have a problem going to casinos whenever there's an opportunity--and whenever my pocket allows me.
If the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) decides to make another attempt to put up a casino in the city, well and good. If not, the hell I care. (Pagcor attempted--even briefly operated one--during the Magtajas administration but retreated despite winning the legal battle because of public pressure.)
But I must say that I'm a bit intrigued now with all these talk about having a casino in Cagayan de Oro.
Why? Has Pagcor announced that it's coming? I haven't heard of any.
That the Emano media and city hall are making all these noise about something that hasn't been officially and publicly announced yet is brow-raising.
Again, Emano's fingerprints are all over the ongoing media campaign, which, to me, is clearly meant to test the waters if not, to condition the minds of residents that "Santa Claus" is coming to town.
I wish Mayor Dongkoy would become a little transparent this time and tell us, the public, that Pagcor has told him that it's going to operate a casino here or if he has been courting Pagcor to come over. Going public with this is much better than saying that Korean investors complained to him about the absence of a casino in the city. Do you really think Cagayanons are that stupid, mayor?
Instead of using foreigners to justify his position, why can't the mayor just say that he wants Pagcor to run a casino here because city hall needs the money? Period. No need to beat around the bush.
Emano doesn't even have to pass the buck. Using the Koreans as an excuse is like saying that he won't oppose any move by Pagcor to come in simply because foreign investors want a casino. Lame excuse. That's bull!
Investors come in because they want to do business. They don't and won't come over just because Cagayan de Oro has a casino. If there's a casino, they may gamble to their hearts' content. If there's none, they can do a lot of other things. Besides, they have casinos in their own countries, which could be far better than the ones we have in this country.
I've been in a casino in Sydney and without batting an eyelash, I say we, Filipinos, should be ashamed of Pagcor's casinos. Our casinos are "shanties" compared to the one I saw in the Land Down Under.
The question is, what do you want, Mr. Mayor? And what does Cagayan de Oro want? The mayor doesn't even have to turn any councilor into John the Baptist to "prepare the way" for Pagcor. Emano is the mayor, for chrissake!
Make a stand and go public with it. All he has to do is say that he wants a casino and ask people what they think.
The problem with the city hall occupant is he seems to be allergic to public consultations. He prefers to test the waters using his media machinery than consult people. That way, he can hide--in this case, under the skirts of foreign investors. It all boils down to politics, I guess, and the yearning not to lose votes.
I wonder what former city councilor and 1998 election period mayor Manolo Tagarda has to say about his daughter's position on the casino.
Tagarda's daughter, Councilor Michelle, has gone public with her pro-casino stance, which is really not surprising given that since 1998, she has never gone against the wishes of The Big Boss. And what about Councilor Nanding Advincula who, like the older Tagarda, also served during the Magtajas administration?
Didn't Councilor Michelle's father and Advincula join the anti-casino rallies and were even among those who passed Cagayan de Oro's anti-casino law? I'm not really sure about Councilor Juan Sia (or was it Councilor Alfonso Goking or Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya?) but I'm certain that former vice mayor Tony Soriano, who wants to make a comeback via the Emano 2004 ticket, was a staunch anti-casino advocate during the Magtajas administration. If my memory serves me right, only the then councilor Boy Ramos opposed the passage of the Magtajas-inspired anti-casino ordinance.
Will these people maintain their position or become bootlickers this time?
Pastilan.
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