A NUMBER of integrated casino resort complexes in Metro Manila do not appear to have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT), despite the latter’s officials saying it would review the security protocols of such facilities, in view of the recent lone-gunman attack on Resorts World Manila (RWM).
According to the DOT web site which publishes a list of accredited tourism establishments like hotels and resorts, restaurants, tourist transport services, travel agencies, tour guides, among others, the City of Dreams (COD) is the only accredited tourism entertainment complex among all the integrated casino resorts located at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Entertainment City. Hotels within COD such as Hyatt, Nobu and Crown Towers, also have separate accreditations with the government agency.
At the Newport Complex, where RWM is located, only Marriot Hotel Manila and its Grand Ballroom, as well as the Newport Commercial Center Administration Inc., are accredited by the DOT.
Marriot Hotel is accredited as an hotel while its Grand Ballroom is accredited as a Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibit Facility. Newport Commercial, is accredited as a department store and shopping mall. All are owned by taipan Andrew Tan under his Travellers International Hotel Group and Megaworld Corp., respectively.
Other Travellers properties such as Maxim’s Hotel and Remington Hotel, also in Newport City, were not on the accredited list of hotels of the DOT. Solaire Resort and Casino, owned by Bloomberry Resorts Corp., and Okada Manila, owned by Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc., are also not on said list of accredited tourism establishments.
BusinessMirror tried to get in touch with officials of DOT’s Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation division to get an explanation on this discrepancy, but received no response as of press time. Said DOT division oversees the accreditation of tourism establishments and frontliners.
The DOT reminded the public to check the list of accredited tourism establishments available on the DOT web site (http://bit.ly/1LBCHST) before making any booking arrangements. “We have a web site you can visit to check if it’s accredited. Please check the [establishment] if it’s accredited because we cannot answer for your safety and stay [if it is not accredited],” said DOT Spokesman and Assistant Secretary Frederick M. Alegre in a recent press conference.
He added that penalties could be imposed on tourism establishments, which fail in instituting strict security measures. “To erring establishments, those who fail to comply [with security protocols], of course you lose your accreditation. If it’s proven you were remiss, that’s the ultimate penalty,” said
“The moment you lose your accreditation, it will be difficult for you to get it back because there will be additional requirements where you have to prove [you deserve the accreditation]. So everybody is so scared to lose that accreditation; we have to be strict about this,” he added.
Alegre has said the DOT is currently reviewing Resorts World’s accreditation, and will be checking up on the security protocols of similar facilities or integrated casino resorts. (See, “DOT to review RWM accreditation as casinos beef up security measures,” in the BusinessMirror, June 12, 2017.)
As per the agency’s web site, a DOT Accreditation “is a certificate issued by the department recognizing the holder as having complied with its minimum standards in the operation of the establishment concerned which shall ensure the safety, comfort, and convenience of the tourist.”
When a tourism establishment such as hotel, for instance, applies for DOT accreditation, third-party party assessors will be sent to review whether the facility adheres to minimum requirements for said category, according to a checklist. For hotels, the item on the “security” lists requirements such as “professional security in place 24 hours at main entry point, property and security services designed to ensure guest safety at all times, effective use of CCTV with minimum 30 days recording storage, and monitoring of CCTV 24 hours.”
A former employee of the Department of Finance, and reputed to be a gambling addict, Jessie Carlos tried to rob the Resorts World and torched the gaming tables at the casino area last June 2. He also shot at indeterminate directions, scaring casino guests. The fire quickly spread and trapped casino guests, 37 of whom died. According to RWM management, their security shot at Carlos, wounding him. He later shot himself and set himself on fire, according to the Philippine National Police.
Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/no-dot-accreditation-for-3-casino-complexes/
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