Duterte: Jack Lam offered to pay tax debts, but…

President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he delivers his speech during the “Digong’s Day for Women” at the Kalayaan grounds in Malacañang on March 31, 2017. ALBERT ALCAIN/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Gambling tycoon Jack Lam, who has tax liabilities in the Philippines, has offered to pay these in installments, President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday night.

But Mr. Duterte said that if Lam would pay up, it should be all at once and not in tranches.

He would use the money to build hospitals, he said.

“Now, he has offered to pay 888 installments. I said, ‘no, no, no.’ I said, give it to me at once because as I have announced earlier I will build a hospital in Basilan worth one billion, Jolo and Mary Johnston,” he said in a speech at the Digong’s Day for Women event in the palace on Friday evening.

He said the money should not be given to him directly. He would ask the Philippine army to take charge of constructing the buildings, he added.

READ: Duterte sets conditions for Jack Lam’s return to business in PH

Mr. Duterte brought up Lam’s offer after he spoke of his earlier order to have him arrested. He said he actually wanted to kill Lam but the latter was able to leave the country.

Lam had allegedly operated an illegal online gaming casino and hired illegal Chinese workers at Fontana Casino and Leisure Park in Pampanga.

“You know why I ordered his arrest? No specific charge but he was there in Clark. When he was talking he was saying that everybody was in his pocket,” Mr. Duterte said.

“I said, arrest him. I called NBI. He said, ‘what’s the charge sir?’ (I replied) ‘ah, never mind the charge, and if he asks for the charge, kill him, that’s the charge. Charge to experience,’” he added, to laughter from the audience.

BACKSTORY: Duterte orders arrest of Lam for bribery try

In December, Mr. Duterte said he was open to the return of Lam to the Philippines if he pays his back taxes and agrees to a renegotiation of his contract with the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. that had him remitting only one percent of his revenue to the government. IDL