The joint panel in the House of Representatives looking into the tragic Resorts World Manila incident will conclude its inquiry on Wednesday by crafting significant legislation that will prevent a repeat of the incident.
Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, chairman of the House committee on games and amusements, said that “it is our responsibility in government to make sure such catastrophes do not happen again.”
Tambunting said his panel, together with the House committees on public order and safety, and tourism, would assert its power to equip the security and intelligence agencies of government with the necessary tools to prevent such crimes as the bloody hotel-casino incident in Pasay last June 2 that killed 37 people.
“We cannot allow the Philippines to be a place where perpetrators can easily commit these acts which result in the loss of life and property. Enough is enough,” Tambunting said.
As the joint committees conduct its probe into the incident, Tambunting said that as chairman of the House committee on games and amusements, there are two main issues which he wants to look into.
“The ï¬rst issue concerns the security plans of our government agencies in cooperation with the private sector,” Tambunting said.
“The Philippines is on the verge of becoming one of the world’s entertainment capitals. We will not be able to achieve this if our visitors, investors, and the Filipino people in general do not feel safe. If we do not shape up our security measures, what happened at Resorts World Manila could also happen in our other hotels, casinos, stadiums, concert halls, and other places where a lot of people gather.”
Secondly, Tambunting said the joint committee intents to address gambling addiction and the agenda to promote responsible gaming in the country.
“Let me make myself clear: Gambling in itself is not wrong. What is wrong is when a person becomes obsessed with gambling to the point of spending what one needs to support one’s family or to fulï¬ll other just obligations, as provided in a document by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference,” Tambunting said.
He added that the committees will come up with recommendations on possible pieces of legislation they would produce out of the congressional probe.