Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II yesterday assured that the businesses of Chinese casino tycoon Jack Lam in Clark, Pampanga remain closed.
Aguirre’s assurance came following reports that the state-owned Clark Development Corporation (CDC) has lifted the closure order against Lam’s Fontana Leisure Park and Casino Hotel.
The Justice secretary clarified that what have been allowed open were “the locators of CDC inside Fontana.”
Aguirre disclosed that Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea has permitted the operations of business tenants of Fontana in consideration of 2,000 Filipino workers.
On Nov. 24, authorities arrested 1,316 Chinese nationals illegally working inside illegal online casino operations inside Fontana.
As a result, CDC president and chief executive officer Noel Manankil issued a closure order against Fontana Development Corporation which operates the Fontana Leisure Park and Casino Hotel.
President Duterte had also ordered the arrest of Lam for economic sabotage and harboring illegal aliens.
However, the casino tycoon is already out of the country, having fled last Nov. 29.
Lam also got himself entangled in a bribery scandal when he allegedly paid P50 million to officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to release some of the arrested Chinese nationals. (JEFFREY DAMICOG)