House resumes probe on Resorts World attack
A security video grab shows the gunman torching one of the gambling tables at the Resorts World Manila casino in Pasay City casino on June 2, 2017. AP
The House of Representatives on Wednesday resumed its probe on the attack at Resorts World Manila casino in Pasay City where 37 people died.
The casino’s CCTV monitoring team was invited to shed light on events when the lone gunman, Jessie Javier Carlos, attacked.
During the previous hearing, lawmakers learned of the security lapses of the Resorts World, where the entrance was manned by only one guard.
READ: House grills Resorts World Manila officials for security lapses
Lawmakers also learned that the police were not informed about a second CCTV monitoring room located at the adjacent Remington Hotel.
Article continues after this advertisementAlso invited for Wednesday’s hearing are the representatives of Veronica Memorial Chapels and Rizal Funeral Homes.
Article continues after this advertisementThe House committees investigating the attack also invited the taxi driver who drove the gunman to Resorts World, and the gasoline attendant from whom the gunman bought gasoline which he used to torch casino tables and chairs.
Most of the casualties died of suffocation, lawmakers have learned.
READ: People died in RWM fire because gunfight prevented them from fleeing
The police have described Carlos as a gambling addict who was banned from all casinos and was in deep debt before he carried out the attack.
READ: Parents of gunman in Resorts World attack ask for forgiveness
During the attack on June 2, Carlos entered the casino carrying an assault rifle and fired shots. He went on to torch tables and steal P113.1-million worth of casino chips.
READ: Resorts World gunman identified as Jessie Javier Carlos, a Filipino
As security was in hot pursuit, Carlos holed himself up inside a room at a hotel adjacent to the casino. Inside the room, he reportedly shot himself after setting himself on fire.
The police declared the incident as a robbery even as the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
READ: Security video shows methodical gunman in Resorts World attack
Carlos, a former tax specialist at the Department of Finance, was dismissed by the Ombudsman for alleged ill-gotten wealth and faced a forfeiture case before the Manila Regional Trial Court.
READ: DOF: Resorts World gunman dismissed for alleged graft, corruption
His parents have apologized to the victims, calling their son a kind man but addicted to gambling.
READ: Parents of gunman in Resorts World attack ask for forgiveness
The police have decried Resort World’s failure to implement its security plan, adding that there was only one security guard in the entrance for the graveyard shift at the time of the attack. CBB
