GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc, The Philippine Star, Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Catholic bishops are opposing Pagcor’s planned “Entertainment City” on Roxas Boulevard because of the label “Las Vegas-type development.” It’s knee-jerk, and it needs correcting lest they begin to sound like the Taliban.
For the uninitiated, everything about Las Vegas is sinful: the topless Folies Bergere, gambling, prostitution, and more gambling. But truth is watching the Parisian cabaret show is restrictive (be at least 18 years old) and prohibitive ($150 per head). The many phone-number billboards of escorts or room dancers give an impression that prostitution abounds; call and be prepared for a female undercover cop to arrive. And gambling is no longer the top earner of Las Vegas; entertainment accounts for 75 percent of business revenues.
Casino operators have long learned that serious gambling is only for an obstinate few, but most visitors would try a few coins on the slots then leave. The real money is in family entertainment: music, theater, arcades, circus, carnival rides, variety and techno shows, art galleries, novelties, etc. That’s why Caesar’s Palace booked Celine Dion in weekend shows for five years at billions of dollars in fees and construction of her own concert hall. That’s why other casinos entice families in with Broadway hits, lion tamers, magicians, video games or rollercoasters. That’s why even Macao, haven of hardcore gamblers, is tapping managers from Las Vegas to transform it into an entertainment hub.
Pagcor chairman Efraim Genuino aims to replicate Las Vegas’ success — 75:25 ratio of entertainment to gaming — via Entertainment City. Into 90 hectares of reclaimed land from Manila Bay beside the SM Mall of Asia, he has been working for seven years to interest foreign investors to build Las Vegas-type family-fun structures and facilities. Every time I bump into him, it’s the only thing he ever talks about, always ebulliently. He has it all down pat — how Entertainment City will employ 250,000 people, boost tourism, earn dollars. And from recent news on groundbreaking rites, his dream is about to come true, although scaled down from $20 billion to $15 billion to construct, and renamed “Bagong Nayong Pilipino (New Pilipino Village)”.
Three retired bishops blessed the occasion. But on reading about it, a fourth one declared that if he had his way he’d have them sanctioned by the Bishops Conference. For, anything remotely linked to Las Vegas is wicked. Hopefully he doesn’t ape Afghanistan’s old mullahs in smashing TV sets, billboards picturing women, and ancient Buddhist statues.
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Quietly but relentlessly the Free Rural Eye Clinics battles blindness among indigents in Northern Luzon. Founding ophthalmologist Guillermo de Venecia scours the barrios for patients blind in both eyes because too poor to afford cataract or other surgeries. Volunteer American and Filipino docs assist in the free operations, totaling 23,062 since 1979, at a two-story eye hospital in San Fabian, Pangasinan. At one point Zambales was adjudged cataract-free due to FREC’s charity work. The World Health Organization replicated the group’s best practices in Central Africa.
Behind every operation lies a human drama. One beggar was at first hesitant to have cataracts removed, lest people stop giving alms, but landed gainful work afterwards. A cornea procedure on a girl blind since birth enabled her to see 20:15; she’s now an honor student. An old couple, totally blind, held hands like young lovers upon seeing saw each other again for the first time in ten years, after their first of two cataract eliminations.
Donations are stretched to assist the most number of needy patients. Business exec Albert del Rosario, former ambassador to the US, chairs that job, with trustees Sec. Alberto Romulo, Oscar de Venecia, Marta de Venecia, Rod Feliciano, Magnolia Oviedo, Voltaire Arzadon, and Ralph Valenzuela. Dr. Antonio Say and Alfred Li of Tzu Chi Foundation also bring volunteers and equipment. Not counting the peso value of donated medical services, facilities and supplies, FREC spent P1,037,500 for operations last year, or about P1,000 for each of the little over a thousand patients.
Since January FREC has done 863 free surgeries. Next set of operations is on the last week of April.
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Pete M. from Cainta, Rizal, wrote: “I cannot help but react, incited by a discourteous aside posted below your Apr. 7 column (Internet edition). We read and follow your crusade for good government, transparency and accountability. Do not be discouraged by malicious remarks of attack dogs of those you’ve been hitting for misdeeds, corruption and lying. Together we will fight them because we know we are on the side of truth. Time will come when the Lord Jesus Himself will intervene and render justice to the Filipino through the Holy Spirit, who assures us that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, those He has called according to His purpose.” So please don’t stop writing about Hello Garci, Jocjoc fertilizer scam, NBN-ZTE deal, Comelec automation scam, rice import overpricing — until all these issues are brought to a just conclusion. Ika nga ng isang TV newscaster, huwag natin ‘tatantanan’.”
Yes, readers know: behind those slurs are the Malacañang thieves that I continue to expose.
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E-mail:
jariusbondoc@workmail.com
