Mall to join Earth Hour

A switching-off ceremony in observance of Earth Hour will be held at SM City Bacolod 8:30 p.m. on March 31, a press release from the mall said.

The support of the Bacoleños and Negrenses in last year’s activity made Earth Hour a resounding success, with the country ranking first worldwide in terms of public participation, the press release said.

It added that it also led to significant power savings and greater prospects for meaningful and sustained actions against climate change.

The mall will again join over one billion people in more than 6,000 cities and towns worldwide in the symbolic act end of this month, in response to the environmental realities the world faces, the press release said.

The theme for the activity is “I will if You Will”, which is both a campaign and a challenge to help protect the Earth, it also said.

The program at the mall will start 8 p.m., with the giving of pledges by individuals and groups, and performances from local artists, leading to the switching off, the press release added.*

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‘Pagcor Entertainment City
will make PHL more fun’

The Department of Tourism is optimistic that multi-billion Entertainment City project of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation will make the country “more fun” to visit and help DOT achieve its targeted 10 million annual tourist visits by 2016, a PAGCOR press release said.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said the mixed-use entertainment complex, which is expected to attract at least one million tourists yearly once it becomes fully operational, will complement the DOT programs under the slogan: “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

Pagcor’s Las Vegas-style facility is expected to generate $10 billion annually in gaming revenues alone, of which 25 percent or about US$ 2.5 billion will go to the government, the press release said.

“The Entertainment City will have a big impact on our tourism industry,” Jimenez added.

As this developed, Jimenez said Pagcor Chairman Cristino Naguiat Jr. is on top of the situation in so far as accusations of impropriety hurled against him by casino magnate Steve Wynn are concerned.

Jimenez said Wynn’s accusations will not have a major impact on the Entertainment City’s tourism potential.

Earlier, Malacañang claimed that the counter-complaint of Japanese casino magnate Kazuo Okada clearing Pagcor officials of any wrongdoing bolsters Naguiat’s position that the accommodation he received last year in Macau was “industry practice” among casino operators, the press release said.

Okada denied that his firm, Universal Entertainment, did anything improper to obtain favors from Naguiat and other Pagcor officials in connection with plans to put up a $2 billion casino resort in the country, the press release said.

Bureau of Treasury data showed that Pagcor has remitted P11.437 billion to the national government last year, exceeding expectations. BOT said the P11.437 billion signifies a 4.5 percent over the projections of the Department of Finance.

The increase is also 10.5 percent higher than Pagcor's remittance of P10.343 billion in 2010.

Naguiat attributed the growth in income to the improved gaming mix in casinos and enhanced marketing and gaming offerings of its casinos, the press release said.

Pagcor operates 13 Casino Filipino facilities and has four licensed casinos – Fontana Casino and Fort Stotsenberg in Pampanga, East Bay Casino in Rizal and Poro Point Casino, it added.*

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