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By Francis Earl A. Cueto, Reporter
THE Pasig City police chief said on Friday that
he will check with the city government if the newly opened casino in
the Metrowalk mall has the necessary permits.
“I will have to talk to the city hall first
about it [permits],” Senior Supt. Francisco Uyami Jr. said when
asked by reporters what steps he would take after Councilor
Victorino Obina of Barangay Kapasigan, Pasig, revealed the existence
of the casino.
Uyami said that if the casino does not have the
proper permits, the police would have to close it down.
Obina said the casino opened Wednesday night at
a two-story building near the Arellano’s Fastfood.
He described it as a “first-class” gaming
establishment where big bets are placed.
Obina refused to name the casino’s operator,
but hinted that it was a close relative of an influential politician
with known ties to gambling.
Gambling aficionados including politicians and
celebrities have reportedly been frequenting the casino.
“Celebrities from different walks of life
including starlets, socialites and some politicians are regular
customers of that casino,” a source who requested anonymity said.
The Times tried to get the side of Ricardo Lim,
the general manager of Metrowalk, but he refused to answer phone
calls.
Mayor Vicente Eusebio of Pasig has not issued an
official statement on the casino.
Concerned citizens have asked the help of Rep.
Robert Jaworski Jr. of Pasig in verifying if the casino was illegal
or not.
Obina said the Metrowalk casino could not have
existed “without the blessing of local authorities.”
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