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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Saturday, June 3, 2017
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MANILA – Thirty-six people died of suffocation after a foreign-looking gunman went berserk inside Resorts World Manila past midnight on Friday in Pasay City. At least 54 persons were wounded.
“Yung attacker nagsunog ng mga casino tables,” said National Capital Region police director Oscar Albayalde.
The gunman committed suicide inside a room thereafter. He set himself on fire, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
All dead bodies were retrieved at the casino area of Resorts World Manila.
Those injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.
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p class=”NewStyle15″>“We cannot claim this was a terror attack kasi wala siyang sinaktan,” said PNP Director General Ronald Dela Rosa. “Kung ISIS ‘yun dapat pinagbabaril na ‘yung mga tao, nambomba na.”
This was a case of robbery, said Dela Rosa.
“Pumunta siya dun sa kwarto ng mga (gambling) chips at nagnakaw ng P113 million worth of chips at inilagay niya sa isang backpack,” he said.
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p class=”NewStyle15″>According to Albayalde, the gunman was all alone, citing security camera recordings. He fired at big TV screens and set some gaming tables on fire.
“Pagpasok niya sa parking lot, mag-isa lang siyang bumaba. Nagpaputok siya, pinutukan ng pinutukan ‘yung door knob kung saan niya ninakaw yung mga chips,” said Albayalde. “Pumasok siya at nataranta ang security, dumiretso sa casino, nagsunog ng table, nagpaputok sa ere, pinaputukan ang LED TV.”
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p class=”NewStyle15″>In an interview, some of the casino players claimed the foreign-looking gunman was not alone when he fired gunshots.
“Parang well-orchestrated ‘yung pag atake. May putukan sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng casino,” said one casino player who asked not to be named for security reasons.
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p class=”NewStyle15″>“May mga nakakita rin na mga armadong lalaki sa may baba ng casino bago pa ‘yung pag-atake,” he added.
Another casino player claimed, “Ako may nakita mga dalawang lalaki na armado na nakamaskara at nakaitim na t-shirt…Hindi sila magkakasama nung umatake pero nasa loob sila ng Resorts World.”
While Dela Rosa insisted that the incident was plain robbery, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said security measures were heightened across Metro Manila.
“We are not discounting possibility of even a small-scale terror attack in Manila,” Esperon said. “That’s why security forces had been put on high alert. Let’s be calm but at the same time alert, ready to help our security forces.”
He also urged people not to spread wrong information.
“Let us not be unwitting tools of terror by spreading false rumors like claiming that the Resorts World attack was terror-related,” said Esperon./PN
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