GGC stands for Gods Governance Commission. It’s an agency created during the time of the late President Noynoy Aquino. It’s first chairman was an Angeleno, Atty. Cesar Villanueva, former law Dean of Ateneo de Manila. He is the brother of my good friend Frankie,a former colleague at Clark Development Corporation. In a press release I read recently, the agency is mulling the privatization of government owned and controlled corporations. And one of the first in line is Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). Methinks, the privatization should have been done a long time ago. For one, PAGCOR should not be wearing two crowns, being a regulator and operator of casinos. That’s anomalous, to say the least. Sad to say, as a regulator, we heard a lot of deals attended with corruption. As an operator, their casinos are the worst. Mostly rundown and unkempt.This is no exaggeration. Try to make a comparison with the existing private casinos.
In Clark Freeport today, you can find the beautiful casinos. Royce which will open its doors in the last quarter of the year is fashionable and adopted modern trends. Then there’s Hann Casino which is sandwiched between Marriott Hotel and Swissotel. It is spacious and features several high end restaurants. Their prices are exorbitantly high. ( Unsolicited Advice: If you want to check cars entering your hotels and casino please get sniffing dogs and don’t use the security guards as your ‘dogs’. Whoever is responsible for the security services must re-study the security plans). Midori, Heights,Fortune Gate and Capital Wise at Xenia Hotel are the less patronized because they can’t match the marketing and promotion efforts of Hann and Royce with the latter casinos giving big cash and late model vehicles to patrons. Btw. Plans are afoot for the Jackson family of the US to put a casino resort in New Clark City.
The Sy family is one of the richest families in the country today. To recall, the late Mr. Henry Sy Sr. migrated into the country and started selling shoes in a small store in Carriedo street in Sta. Cruz district in Manila in the fifties and is now included among the most moneyed in the world. He was already in his nineties, when he ventured in gambling casino business. His family is part owner of City of Dreams Hotels and Casino. The other owners are big shots showbiz people from Hollywood.
He expanded his retail empire into banking, power and property businesses and yet he elected to join the gaming industry. Casino business is good and a very very profitable business. Enrique 'Ricky' Razon Jr. who is in port terminal operation ventured also in casino business and his Solaire casino is raking in the money from the high rollers from Asian gamblers. According to the papers, when at age
55 he was the youngest Filipino to make the list in Forbes richest men in the world.
RETRO: In the sixties, the casinos in this country were lined along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard. The late Nicanor 'Junior' De Guzman of Nueva Ecija was the most known among the casino operators during those years. He was in partnership with a powerful congressman from Bicol region and operated the Ambassador, Stardust, Chrysantemum and La Sirena. They were the more popular casinos and drew the most patrons.
The Magdaluyos, Riveros and few more others came up with their own establishments. They were closed down when President Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed martial law in September 1972. And a floating casino anchored at the Manila bay became the only gambling place for the habitués. Its operations had the blessing of Marcos. And later when a brother of then First Lady Imelda Marcos got interested in the casino business, a corporate vehicle known as PCOC was established to manage the gambling places and started putting up branches in some cities like Olongapo and Angeles.
And when Corazon Aquino was swept into power via the so-called EDSA revolution, he appointed a relative as chairman and chief executive officer of the PCOC and was renamed as Philipine Amusements and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).