Manila Pavilion fire: Hotel, Pagcor staff called to NBI Probe

A KMU protest action outside the damaged Manila Pavilion Hotel on Thursday demands accountability for the March 18 fire that left six people dead. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has asked employees of Manila Pavilion and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to help shed light on the fire that struck the hotel on Sunday and left six people dead.

Aside from the employees who were at the site when the fire broke out, also asked to appear at the NBI headquarters was the contractor tapped by the hotel for renovation works in the casino area.

“It’s not the officials but the employees. It’s not a subpoena but an invitation because these people are all willing to cooperate,” a source privy to the NBI investigation told the Inquirer.

The cause of the fire that hit the 22-story hotel on UN Avenue remained under investigation, although authorities had established that it started in the casino area on the ground floor.

About two dozen people were reported hurt, while six Pagcor employees died, with the latest victim succumbing to her injuries on Wednesday.

They were identified as Jennilyn Figueroa, 28, internal security staff member at Casino Filipino Pavilion; Edilberto Evangelista, treasury officer; Marilyn Omadto, assistant treasury officer; Billy Rey De Castro, security guard; and John Mark Sabido and Jocris Banang, security camera operators.

‘Heads must roll’

Also on Thursday, members of the militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) held a protest rally in front of the hotel to seek justice for the six fatalities.

The protesters offered flowers and prayers for the dead as they clamored for accountability, blaming the “senseless deaths on hazardous and unsafe workplaces.”

“Heads must roll,” said KMU stressed in a statement.

The hotel is owned by Waterfront Philippines Inc.