Casino gunman identified

Dismissed DOF analyst deep in debt

MANILA, Philippines -  The lone suspect behind a deadly attack on a casino in Pasay City that left dozens dead was a heavily indebted former government employee hooked on gambling, police said yesterday.

National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Oscar Albayalde said the gunman’s immediate family confirmed his identity as Jessie Javier Carlos – a 43-year-old father of three and former employee of the Department of Finance (DOF) who had debts of more than P4 million.

Carlos was a resident of Felix Huertas street in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Albayalde stressed this confirmed police suspicions that the attack was not an act of terrorism.

“This incident is confined to the act of one man alone as we have always said. We have and will continue to base our pronouncements on facts and evidence properly gathered. We will not allow people or any threat group to use this situation to advance their propaganda or personal causes whether foreign or local,” Albayalde said as he sat alongside Carlos’ parents and widow Jen at the press conference held to announce the identity of the attacker.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. had banned Carlos from playing in all casinos last April.

He said Pagcor issued the order following a request from the family because of Carlos’ gambling addiction.

“He is heavily indebted due to being hooked to casino gambling. This became the cause of misunderstanding with his wife and parents,” Albayalde said.

“He was barred by Pagcor from all casinos because of the request of next of kin. This could have probably triggered him. That’s why he was so mad at casinos,” he said.

Carlos walked into the Resorts World Manila casino early Friday with an M4 automatic rifle and a bottle of petrol, before setting alight gaming tables and slot machines, as well as linen, along a hallway of a hotel in the complex.

Thirty-seven people died in the fires, dozens more were injured in a stampede to escape, and Carlos was found dead about five hours later in a hotel room after committing suicide by setting himself ablaze.

A security video of the incident released on Saturday showed the gunman calmly and slowly walking through the casino and firing into the air most of the time, apparently as warning shots for people to leave.

At one point, he fired at security guards when they confronted him, but missed. After they ran away, he calmly walked up some stairs.

The video also showed him breaking into a storage room where chips were being kept, apparently intent on stealing what he could.

Albayalde said the security footage showed the motive: the gunman headed straight for the rooms that contained money and poker chips.

The video footage bolstered the police claim that the attack was a botched robbery attempt by one man with no known link to terrorism.

Although Carlos was well armed, Albayalde said he was carrying 90 rounds in three rifle magazines for an M4 carbine. He was also armed with a .380 automatic pistol.

Albayalde said the serial number of the M4 rifle was defaced while .380 automatic was registered in 1998. He did not elaborate.

Carlos’ widow Jen, on the other hand, told the news conference that she did not know her husband had owned both firearms nor where he got them.

There were no confirmed reports that Carlos shot any civilians or patrons inside the casino. Instead, he fired at the ceiling, scattering panicked crowds, some of who jumped out windows to escape what they believed to be a terror attack.

Carlos was seen shooting through several thick white doors, breaking down one of them at 12:18 a.m. Friday, only 11 minutes after his arrival. Albayalde suggested Carlos deliberately set several casino tables as a diversionary tactic in the effort to mislead his pursuers while trying to get out.

Albayalde considered the Resorts World attack as case closed.

“We are now in the process of investigating the lapses on security while the cause of fire is being looked into by our counterparts in the Bureau of Fire (Protection),” he said.

High roller

At the DOF, Carlos was a tax specialist stationed at the One Stop Shop Tax Credit and Duty Drawback Center.

Finance Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Habitan confirmed Carlos was a former employee who was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2014 for not declaring properties and business interests from 2007 to 2010 in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN).

The ombudsman said Carlos had a total income of P2.4 million from 2001 to 2011 but was found to have purchased “in cold cash” two farm lots in Batangas for P4 million.

Carlos’ civil service was also cancelled; his retirement benefit forfeited, and was perpetually disqualified from reemployment in the government.

Albayalde said Carlos was hooked on casino gambling and his bank account showed an outstanding debt of P4 million and had incurred “several other non bank related debts.”

He noted Carlos’ addiction to gambling was the same reason his wife had separated from him.

Albayalde said Carlos was a high roller in casinos with a usual minimum bet of P40,000 per visit.

Being a casino habitué, Carlos could have had a clear picture of the Resorts World premises and went directly to places he was familiar with, he added.

Pagcor confirmed Carlos was included in its national database of restricted persons (NDRP) last March 27.

The NDRP is the online system of excluded persons developed by Pagcor, accessible to licensed casinos and major operators of electronic gaming.

Unconvinced

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II however ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct its own probe into the incident.

Aguirre explained that the NBI probe is parallel or independent from the police investigation.

“There are several questions that remain unanswered and the NBI hopes to help in providing answers,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre said the parallel investigation could also serve as verification or to countercheck the findings of the police.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) already played down the possibility that the incident was a terror attack even after the IS owned up to it in their website.

The police had said it was a simple case of robbery gone haywire.

But several sectors, including Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, raised questions on this finding, pointing out reported accounts of witnesses saying they heard the attacker was an IS extremist.

“At this point, I disagree with the conclusion reached by law enforcement authorities that the Resorts World incident was not a terrorist act but rather a criminal case of armed robbery and arson,” Alvarez said.

“This is a clear example of a ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attack targeting civilians to inflict maximum loss of life and damage to property, as what has happened in other countries,” he said.

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo hinted at initiating a congressional investigation.

“We will be filing a resolution to investigate the circumstances of the incident in RW, particularly security lapses,” Castelo said.

“The question on how the suspect was able to bring a high-powered rifle and incendiaries into a supposedly tightly secured leisure area frequented by locals and tourists is totally beyond me,” Castelo said.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Pagcor and casino operators should implement counseling programs for gambling addicts.

“Pagcor should make sure there’s a counseling program available to casino gambling addicts and those whose lives have been destroyed by casino gambling to be implemented by Pagcor and all the casino franchises,” he said.

In response, Pagcor said they are strictly implementing its code of practice for responsible gaming to prevent gambling addiction and minimize potential harm to players and the community.

“In fact, to heighten awareness on responsible gaming, Pagcor tapped the mainstream, internet and social media to reach its target public about the hazards of gambling addiction,” it said.

Pagcor said it has set up a 24/7 hotline to help and assist gambling addicts.

Sen. Grace Poe said the identification of the suspect “should be a call for action on our authorities to establish adequate protocols to ensure that this unfortunate incident never happens again.”

Pimentel and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian also called on the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and the Bureau of Fire Protection to immediately clarify their roles when it comes to preventing fire hazards in casinos.

Officials of both agencies are pointing to each other over which of them should be held accountable for the apparent failure of fire fighting equipment at the casino area of Resorts World.

Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, however, said it would be premature to make any inquiries at this stage.

“Truly, the incident was terrifying. Horrible as it is, we have to defer in the meantime to our law enforcement authorities in gathering evidence to ascertain the gunman’s true motive,” he said. – Perseus Echeminada, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero, Mary Grace Padin, Helen Flores, AFP, AP