By Charlie V. Manalo
The Daily Tribune
The Daily Tribune
From where a congressman stands, President Aquino and his Malacañang aides are again protecting one of their own: Philippine Amusement and Games Corp. chairman Cristino Naguiat, the Pagcor’s consultant and other gaming officials.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño yesterday said he finds unbelievable Malacañang’s statement that it is clueless about the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe into the alleged bribery of Japan’s Universal Entertainment Corp. to former Pagcor consultant Rodolfo Soriano and other gaming officials.
“Are they clueless or they would rather not talk because the person in the hot seat is President Aquino’s good buddy (Naguiat) who, when he was appointed to Pagcor, cleared the deals in question and even received favors from the company that was supposed to have bribed his predecessor?,” said the lawmaker, who has spearheaded the bribery investigation in Congress.
Reuters news agency reported over the weekend that agents from the Las Vegas office of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation have been in Manila over the past week, working with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the local agency tasked with looking into Universal’s big boss Kazuo Okada’s illegal payments to Soriano.
“More likely than not, the Palace is just distancing itself from the investigation, knowing that current Pagcor chairman Cristino Naguiat, a presidential appointee, approved the dealings of former Pagcor chairman Efraim Genuino and Soriano,” said Casiño.
“Notwithstanding that President Aquino ordered an investigation in November to see if the payments were made in relation to the $2 billion casino resort being developed by Universal on Manila Bay, he already exonerated Naguiat from any wrongdoing and said that accepting favors from Okada was part of ‘industry practice’,” Casiño said.
“As of now we have three investigations on the matter – two in the House of Representatives and one at the Department of Justice (DoJ) – yet nothing seems to be coming out of these probes, even as it is filled with numerous pieces of evidence of irregularities on the Entertainment City project, President Aquino has not ordered the suspension of its provisional license and even condoned Naguiat’s acceptance of free hotel accommodations and gifts from Okada’s company,” Casiño added.
In a lawsuit filed in a US court last February, US-based Wynn Resorts alleged that estranged business partner Kazuo Okada violated the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by lavishing more than $110,000 on Naguiat and other Philippine officials to ensure the Japanese’s plans for a Manila casino went ahead.
The suit alleged that Okada billeted Naguiat, his wife, three children, a nanny and other Pagcor officials in Wynn Macau hotel rooms during a five day stay in 2010. The family allegedly stayed at the resort’s most expensive room at $6,000 a night.
It also narrated that Naguiat requested and received a Chanel designer bag worth more than $1,850 for his wife. Okada supposedly ordered that each of the guests be given a $5,000 advance for shopping during their stay in Macau.
Naguiat, however, denied that his wife took the money and bought herself a Chanel bag, saying that while she was being gifted with the designer bag, she quickly returned it.
“What needs to be done now is for the President to immediately suspend the Entertainment City project and relieve Naguiat for not doing enough to stop the anomalous project,” said Casiño.
Aquino is, however, known to protect his cronies and allies, as well as his party mates in the Liberal Party.
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