INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
The lone security guard at the entrance of Resorts World Manila said on Wednesday she tried to block the gunman when the latter barged in the casino and launched his attack that killed 37 people.
Mary Grace Rayala of Lanting Security Agency attended the resumption of the House of Representatives joint inquiry into the June 2 attack at Resorts World Manila.
Rayala told lawmakers that the gunman did not go through the metal detector when he barged in at June 2 midnight.
When she noticed that the gunman Jessie Javier Carlos was wearing a bonnet and carrying a rifle, she said she tried to block and challenge the gunman but to no avail.
“Nung June 2 po,… may pumasok na tao hindi po siya dumaan sa walk through metal detector. So in-attempt ko siyang harangin. Chinallenge ko po yung tao. Nakita ko po siya, nakabonnet yung mukha niya at habang kinukumpronta ko siya nakita ko po mayroon siyang dalang baril,” Rayala said.
“That time po, kasama na rin po ng pagdududa kung bakit mayroon siyang ganun klaseng armas. nakabonnet po siya, sinubukan ko siyang ichallenge,” she added.
Rayala said when the gunman was able to walk farther in, the roving guard also helped her to block the gunman, who pointed the gun at him instead.
Rayala said it was at this point she ran toward the back to report the entry of the gunman who was then heading for the casino.
“Nung nakaabang na kami ng malayo layo, dumating kasama ko na roving guard namin sir. Sinubukan din harangin tinaas po yung kamay yung roving guard namin. Dun na ung time na tinutukan siya ng baril,” Rayala said.
When lawmakers asked what she reported in the radio, Rayala recounted saying: “Guard emergency all units may nakapasok na lalaki nakabonnet may dalang mahabang baril papunta sa direksyon ng casino.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, lawmakers were also shown the CCTV footage showing the gunman leaving behind a bag of ammunition in a burning casino table.
The bag of ammunition went off, causing bullets to explode between midnight and 12:30 a.m., giving the impression that there were many attackers that night.
Resorts World Manila President Kingson Sian said most of the fatalities died of suffocation because they were too afraid to come out of hiding because of this mistaken impression.
READ: People died in RWM fire because gunfight prevented them from fleeing
In an earlier hearing, lawmakers lamented security lapses of Resorts World Manila, which was then manned by a lone lady guard even when the license required the casino to be secured with two guards.
READ: House grills Resorts World Manila officials for security lapses
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
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