Hotel’s poker operation request okayed

THE Cebu City Council approved during last Wednesday’s session a resolution endorsing the operation of a poker room at the Crown Regency Hotel.

Councilor Jose Daluz III, however, opposed the resolution sponsored by Councilor Raul Alcoseba.

Daluz said that the council should stop allowing new gambling operations to prevent converting the city into a “gambling city.”

“We have to come up with a rule that all gambling activities should be placed in one place. Besides, gambling is not needed for the progress of the city,” Daluz said.

Daluz said the city should come with zoning of gambling activities before they should allow a new one to operate “because it is just sprouting everywhere in hotels and we don’t have a rule on how to regulate these.”

Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa agreed.

Abellanosa said it is not good for the city council to give its approval on gambling operations in the city simply because a council approval is a requirement by Pagcor.

one more session

“It’s a good idea. But let’s give it to the new council,” said outgoing Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young.

He said since the council only had one more session left on June 26, an ordinance regulating gambling operations should be introduced during the next session already.

Young asked the council to just approve the Crown Regency’s Poker operations just like they did for other gambling operations presented before the council during the last two years.

Councilor Alvin Arcilla also said that documents attached to Alcoseba’s resolution showed that the requirement on the need to conduct a public hearing to consult with barangay Sta. Cruz residents on the power room operation was complied with./Correspondent Edison A. delos Angeles