CITY OF SAN FERNANDO?Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto assailed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) for reneging on a promise made in 1997 that it would not put up a casino anywhere, except for two sites, in the province.

Aniceto demanded the immediate closure of a casino that Pagcor and the Blue Chip Gaming and Leisure Corp. (Blue Chip) have begun operating at the King?s Royal Hotel and Leisure Park in Bacolor, a town at the boundary of this Pampanga capital, on Oct. 17.

It opened 16 months after Bacolor councilors approved the project through Resolution No. 71.

Aniceto said the understanding that Pampanga would remain casino-free was reached after he opposed the proposal of then Gov. Manuel ?Lito? Lapid and some Pampanga congressmen to host a casino in Paskuhan Village.

?I have always been consistent. They [Lapid and some representatives] approached me during the lahar period. They said this [casino in Paskuhan] will generate a lot of funds. I told them this is not the way to achieve the recovery of Pampanga,? Aniceto said.

Lahar flows and Mt. Pinatubo?s eruptions in 1991 buried almost all 20 towns and two cities in Pampanga, worsening floods until now.

?We (the archdiocese) have an unwritten agreement with the previous governor (Lapid) and Pagcor that casinos would be confined only in Clark and in the old Pagcor building in [Barangay Balibago in] Angeles City,? Aniceto told Inquirer on Monday.

Jose Tulio, Pagcor representative in Pampanga, did not reply to calls and text messages seeking Pagcor reaction.

?Our economy should be based on solid principles that respect our human dignity, that is based on real honest sweat and being creative in putting up businesses that are really respectful of our being good citizens,? Aniceto said.

In Sunday?s Mass, the archbishop criticized the casino in Bacolor, mentioning for the first time the 1997 agreement with Lapid and Pagcor.

A check by the Inquirer showed that Lapid, now a senator, had no hand in the Bacolor casino plan.

Also, Gov. Eddie Panlilio wrote Efraim Genuino, Pagcor chair and chief executive officer, on Oct. 16 informing him that the casino was established ?without the knowledge and authorization of the provincial government.?

An Inquirer review of minutes of regular sessions held by the Bacolor council from Jan. 29 to June 24, 2008 showed barely any resistance from councilors.

Councilor Jomar Hizon, who questioned the distance between the school and the casino, was absent with two others when the resolution was passed.

Also, the name of Blue Chip did not appear in any of the minutes of the regular sessions. The resolution referred to a ?VIP club by the Pagcor at the King?s Royal Hotel, Bacolor, Pampanga.?

Except for Tulio, no Blue Chip official faced the council or in two supposed public hearings.

A Jan. 21, 2008 letter by Melchor Caluag, the hotel?s owner, to Mayor Romeo Dungca, showed it was Caluag who ?[signified] my intent of putting up a Poker Club, which includes slot machines and poker tables within the vicinity of the King?s Royal Hotel and Leisure Park, that is converting the spacious function rooms into a gaming hall.?