LAST week saw the Baguio Leaders Forum attended by candidates as they take to the center stage key contemporary issues confronting our City today.
Hearing each candidate share their viewpoints and platforms, I am tacitly reminded of what political pageantry is all about in this country. While some of this year’s election hopefuls seemed to offer very “general” solutions or ostensibly smart retorts, some have been surprisingly candid.
Each presented their position on national issues (RH Bill, same sex marriage, divorce, legislation), including their take on current local issues regarding climate change, environment, water, crime, waste disposal, tourism, sanitation, city reputation, the undying issue on squatting, NCIP, population, charter change and so on. To my mind, the candidates basically prepared for the task at hand (albeit some did effortlessly). Overall, they presented their arguments in the best way they knew how.
The subject on the very controversial casino was also broached during the forum. A question was raised whether the candidate is in favor of casino to be opened in Baguio to generate income and revenues. The candidate in question replied that ‘it should not be permitted in the City,” and cited the ill fate of Pines Hotel and Hyatt Terraces Baguio, (which operated casinos), as a premise. He generalized that it only destroys families, and contends that the city does not need revenues from it. He elaborated that the government spending should be the focus. I couldn’t agree more on the latter point. Government spending should be revisited. But to argue that casino operations should never be allowed in Baguio based on the contention that Pines Hotel got burned for it or that Hyatt Terraces crumbled because of it during 1990’s quake? Not only is this argument feeble. It is asinine and jumping the gun. In short, another WTF moment.
First of all, a blaze set by arsonists gutted Pines Hotel in 1984. Hyatt Terraces Baguio crumbled due to an earthquake – a natural disaster. Each of these catastrophic events had nothing to do whatsoever with the existence of the casino. If that were the argument, Las Vegas should already be buried under the desert sand, Manila under Manila Bay, Atlantic City in New Jersey swallowed by the Atlantic and more recently, Macau Gaming should be history.
Developments around the globe has seen Asia’s gaming markets gaining exponential growth and many major gaming industry operators are seeking to open new casinos in the region. “Asia is without doubt the most promising market for the expansion of the global casino gaming industry” (Wiseman 2007). Inspired by Macau’s emergence as the Las Vegas of the East, many Asian countries have legalized or considered to legalize casino gambling.
South Korea opened three more casinos, bringing its total to 17, in order to compete with Macau and lure upper-tier Japanese customers. In the Philippines, integrated resorts like Resorts World Manila opened in 2009 and recently, Solaire Resorts and Casino followed suit for share in the booming market. Three more huge Resort Casinos are underway in Entertainment City.
Let us not forget that gambling is a game of chance and probability. Which is what playing Lotto or BINGO is. Winning is not a certainty. It is a form of entertainment, and should be made solely exclusive to those who have the means and could afford it. Gambling should only be accessible to individuals who know, understand and can manage the stakes. If the concern as in the past experience is that those who cannot afford still go to the casino then, any future operations considered should incorporate exclusivity of gamers. Make the operations an exclusive membership club who invest and become members. Make the value of membership prohibitive, you then only cater to those who can really afford and they are more than likely, foreigners. Freedom to gamble should be equated with responsibility. Common sense dictates that money intended for basic individual or family needs must never be risked in gambling. This is not always a common faculty.
Personally, although I DO NOT GAMBLE, I am a proponent of integrated resorts (IR) in the country, like Resorts World Manila and Solaire Resorts and Casino. And so are hospitality and tourism players, such as HRAP, Federation of Hotel Owners, HRAB, BCVB, Tourism Congress, among many others. They are leisure and entertainment zones in which the casino is only a small component of its operations. IR’s are “basically a “one-stop” entertainment centers and are major metamorphoses from “gaming-centric” casinos whose focus is only on gaming”. Destination casino resorts offer now a wide variety of non-gambling amenities ranging from theatre-style shows to retail shopping, fine dining, conferencing and exhibition. The potential economic benefits and social cost generated by IRs are radically different from gambling-centric casinos (Eadington and Doyle 2010).
Recent studies have shown that the promise of economic development in terms of more jobs, higher tax revenue and tourism boost brought about by the amenities of integrated resorts have attracted more states and countries to legalize casino gambling (Felsentein and Freeman 1998; Nichols, Giacopassi and Stitt 2002; Walker and Jackson 2007; Calcagno, Walker and Jackson 2010). Other factors such as location, resort nature of the casino facility, monopolistic situations, competitors in the region, timing and necessary supplementary measures can also influence the benefit from casino gambling (Siegel and Anders 2001; Chhabra 2007; Lambert, Srinivasan, Dufrene and Min 2010).
As sure as the sun rises, proposals to open a casino in Baguio City will meet objections from several sectors of the society. After all, “gambling is bound to invite negative social consequences, particularly for gambling addicts and their families, thus generating a strong public reaction to any proposal (Leu and Ko: 2012). The issue thus becomes “whether an economic investment comprising an overall tourist integrated investment project running into billions of dollars should be disallowed because of a gaming component?”
In my professional opinion, the local government should seriously reconsider. If you are going to be against it, improve your argument and not blame Pines Hotel and Hyatt Hotel as examples. As a whole, I think that integrated resorts are good for the economy, tourism and provide employment opportunities. I am losing most of my staff to places like the casinos I earlier mentioned due to more financially rewarding packages for the employees. In the event that the city decides to allow it in Baguio, it should assure the public that they make a concerted and collective effort with the community, to control and minimize adverse impacts that could arise. If and when they re-evaluate, the overall judgment should be about balancing the economic benefits against tangible social cost and intangible impact on the city’s reputation and values.
The key consideration is to serve the national interest in the long run. Consider as an example, what La Union is gaining from the operations of Thunderbird Resorts derived mostly from the expenditures of Baguio residents. At the end of the day, it boils down to the individual. “If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. (Chinese Proverb)
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Tempus Fugit! O how the years flew by since the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) launched its maiden 3-day Annual Hotel and Tourism Weekend in 2003. A day so poignant and fresh in my mind, the reminiscent of the excitement over the parade, the upcoming competitions, display of arts and skills, seminars, trade and job fair and a plethora of events. We have witnessed over the years a gastronomic odyssey which held an annual culinary wonder that highlighted the versatile Filipino talent.
In a nutshell, we kicked-off and stretched the 1.2-kilometer Longest Raisin Bread in 2004; presented The Ice Castles at SM in 2005; paraded the Longest Baguio Original Longganisa in 2006; We brought the 25th Chefs on Parade to Baguio for the first time in 2007, as well as produced the Largest Wedding Cake; In 2008, we partnered with the National Food Showdown that challenged the culinary artists to take Filipino cuisine further to gain the international attention it deserves. We came back In 2009 and showcased and distributed the Largest Pizza vis-à-vis with the comeback of the 4.5 kilometer-long Longest Longganisa (which surpassed its own record in 2006); It was followed by a culinary adventure in the Cordilleras in 2010, when we unveiled and distributed to the public a 25-meter (in diameter) giant pan of flavourful Pasta; For 2011, we paid tribute to the Filipino Farmers by holding Rice and Shine: A Rice Festival, which featured the country’s staple food in a variety of concoctions; and just last year, we came back with a sweet vengeance and created the 3-ton Largest Wedding Cake 2.0 , to topple our feat in 2007.
This year in September, the Annual Hotel and Restaurant Tourism Week (HRT) is turning ten! As HRAB makes its ten-year mark in local tourism history, we will unravel in a few months, a week-long culinary food showdown and various competitions and tourism-oriented events in the City.
For 2013: Our theme: “Celebrating a Decade of Filipino Culinary Excellence” is only apt and very fitting. This year’s setting will pay homage to what tourism fosters – a true sense of pride and history. We shall be featuring Baguio’s historical landmarks and tourism landscapes in culinary form. We intend to recreate various, edible Cake replicas of renowned and historical spots in our City, such as --- The Mansion, the Baguio Cathedral, City Hall, Philippine Military Academy, Camp John Hay and the Baguio Country Club. This is something we all definitely look forward to – another testament to the Filipino Culinary Talent and reflects our mandate to sustain our efforts to uphold our country’s distinction in the global community. We remain dedicated to foster programs, events and activities tailored for tourism and hospitality students and professionals. This is our commitment to the industry, to our community and to our City. We invite you to celebrate with us as we turn TEN! Expect this year’s competitions and events to be fiercer and bolder than ever. It’s going to be a September to Remember.(Anthony R. De Leo)