The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) said it will maintain a neutral stance on the intra-corporate dispute involving the hotel-casino Okada Manila in Parañaque City.
Roderick R. Consolacion, Pagcor chief legal counsel, said the gaming regulator follows the law and court processes on the case of Okada Manila, one of the integrated hotel and casino operators in Entertainment City.
“All that Pagcor did was to follow the law and court processes,” Consolacion said in a statement on Monday, June 6. “It is for the Supreme Court to resolve the merits of the pending case.”
Pagcor’s statement comes in the wake of the takeover of Okada Manila by the group of Japanese-billionaire Kazuo Okada, which Tiger Resort Asia Ltd. claimed void and illegal despite a status quo ante order from the Supreme Court.
“In the meantime, the Status Quo Ante Order (SQAO) is effective immediately by express directive of the Supreme Court and thus must be respected by Pagcor and the parties, until lifted or otherwise the status quo is changed by the court,” the regulator said.
Pagcor also denied that the agency is biased in favor of the group of Kazuo Okada.
“Pagcor has only recognized and will only recognize, the orders of the Supreme Court and will exercise its authority as regulator without violating or disrupting the SQAO and other orders issued by the Supreme Court,” it said.
Meanwhile, Pagcor declined to further comment on what is happening in Okada Manila, saying that “since the issues between the parties are sub-judice, we fear that the court will find us in contempt if we do so.”