Bloomberry told to address concerns on Quezon City casino plan

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) will require Enrique Razon’s Bloomberry Resorts Corp. to address the concerns raised regarding the listed firm’s plan to put up a casino in Quezon City.

Pagcor chairman and chief executive officer  Andrea Domingo said Bloomberry could  proceed with the construction of the  casino after its addresses the concerns raised by some church and parent groups.

“They have not applied for a notice to proceed (NTP), but once they do, we will require them to address the issues,” Domingo said in a radio interview yesterday.

Domingo said Pagcor would be ready to issue the NTP once Bloomberry completes all the requirements.

Some sectors calling themselves “concerned citizens of Quezon City” have raised concerns – through newspaper advertisements – against Bloomberry’s planned casino in QC which is in close proximity to schools such as the Philippine Science High School and the Quezon City Science High School.

Bloomberry, however, maintained that its plan to build a casino does not violate any local or national laws and regulations.  It is the owner and operator of  Solaire Resort & Casino and Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino in Korea.

It is now completing the requirements for the casino after  securing financing for the project.

Bloomberry said its subsidiaries, Sureste Properties Inc. (SPI) and Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc. (BRHI), signed an omnibus loan and security agreement amounting to P40 billion with several lenders.

These include  Philippine National Bank, BDO Unibank Inc., Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., Union Bank of the Philippines, Bank of Commerce, China Banking Corp. and Robinsons Bank Corp.

Bloomberry aims to open its QC casino by early 2022, with the construction targeted to commence in the middle of the year.

The QC casino resort will carry the same Solaire brand but will be taller because the lot area in Vertis North is smaller compared than the hotel in Paranaque.