In two years, the Philippines will be ready to go toe-to-toe with the best of what Macau and the rest of Asia have to offer in terms of gaming and entertainment when its own version of Las Vegas – the 90-hectare Bagong Nayon Pilipino-Manila Bay Integrated City (BNP-MBIC) – commences operation.
The state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), which enjoys the monopoly over casino operations in the country, has already approved the concepts of four local and international groups for their respective visionary developments in the gaming-cum-entertainment tourism hub.
Japan's Aruze Corp., Genting Berhad of Malaysia, the Philippines' SM Investments Corp., and British Virgin Islands' Bloombury Investments Ltd. have committed to infuse an average US$2 billion to US$3 billion for their projects at the tourism city, Efraim C. Genuino, Pagcor chair and CEO, recently announced.
"Seven companies originally submitted their proposals but not all qualified because some concepts are on a smaller scale and they cannot comply with the US$1 billion minimum investment," Genuino said.
The four qualifiers are expected to sign their actual contracts by the second or third quarter of this year. All have held groundbreaking ceremonies last month during the Pagcor-organized 2008 Asia's Gaming and Entertainment plus Leisure Expo (Asia's GEM) in Manila. On the sidelines of the signing, Genuino acknowledged that the four prospective license holders will be pushing ahead with the actual developments in the meantime.

Birds-eye view on four concepts

Pagcor refused to divulge the specific features of their projects pending the signing of the contracts although it gave some highlights of the concepts.
Aruze Corp., a global manufacturer and distributor of gaming machines and known as having ties with the Wynn Resorts, proposed the development of the Okada Resort Manila Bay – an integrated resort with 2,000 standard rooms and 300 VIP suites. Its main features would be an oceanarium touted to be the world's largest, theaters, a sports arena, a special museum, and a giant Ferris wheel similar to the London Eye that will be called the "Manila Eye."
Genting Berhad, with its partners Star Cruises and Philippine property giant Alliance Global Group Inc., is planning to build several hotels with a minimum room capacity of 2,000 rooms, a world-class theme park, a museum, and a tower that will be the tallest in the world.
The Genting Berhad Group owns the Genting Highlands Resort in Malaysia and holds the exclusive development rights of film giant Universal Studios in Asia. Sources say the company is putting up another Universal Studios in the Manila Bay Integrated City and will be among the first entertainment facilities that will be completed there."Most likely that is what they would do and that is also what we want," a Pagcor insider said.
SM Investments Corporation, the Philippine retail giant which owns three of the top ten biggest malls in the world, proposed to build a world-class gaming facility in partnership with Asia Pacific Gaming of Australia, a major luxury hotel to be managed by Radisson Hotels & Resorts, a museum and a sports arena. All will be built beside the SM Mall of Asia, touted as the largest in the region.
Bloombury Investments, meanwhile, plans to build three luxury hotels with a total capacity of 1,500 rooms, with high-end retail shopping, celebrity-themed dining, a showroom and museum, and a major entertainment and sports center.

Employment boon

Edward King, Pagcor spokesman, said with the BNP-MBIC starting operations in 2010, Manila will more than double its current capacity of 6,000 hotel rooms as the project is seen to have at least 8,000 new rooms. This will enable the Philippines to attract at least three million more tourists per year and generate an additional 250,000 local jobs.
According to King, about 50,000 Filipinos are working in Macau and Pagcor expects a big number of them, specifically the entertainers and hotel personnel, to come home and work instead at the new tourism city of Manila, where they would also be paid in dollars and at rates comparable to Asian standards.

Family entertainment focus

King admits that the focus of the integrated city is family entertainment, unlike Macau, which is concentrated on gaming.
In fact, gaming facilities will only cover five per cent of the total area, states King, as they want to emulate Las Vegas which gets a significant percentage of its revenues from other forms of entertainment and only about half from gaming.
"Our target tourists are family-oriented. We want families to come over, watch the shows, be entertained and go to the theme parks. The children will be wandering around while the elders play slot machines. They can also use Manila as a jump-off point if they want to go to our beautiful beaches," he said.
Manila, he added, also has numerous golf courses that charge cheap rates. King noted that it would be cheaper for Japanese and Koreans to buy plane tickets to Manila and play golf here for a weekend than have a round of golf in their own countries.
In contrast, King said Macau only has limited golf facilities and beaches. "The difference between Macau and the Philippines is in Macau, you have no other place to go but the hotels and casinos. Here, you can jump to other parts of the country like Boracay (white sand beaches), Ciargao (for surfing), and Banaue Rice Terraces. We have lots to offer versus Macau. In Macau, if you do not gamble, it is a boring place," he said.

Tourist lure to include mega sport events

Pagcor will be in the running to garner a share of the estimated 200 million Chinese travelers that will be vacationing throughout Asia. Attractions such as the Manila Eye by Aruze Corp., the Tower by Genting Berhad, the numerous museums, additional hotel accommodation, as well as the sports and entertainment shows that will be featured at the Manila Bay Integrated City will make the capital city comparable to renowned tourist magnets such as Paris, London, Bangkok and Tokyo.
He said the road system there will also be tailored fit to host F1 racing, while the sports arenas will be used as venues for international basketball, tennis and boxing events. Genuino said current World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao, who has become a global boxing icon due to his numerous conquests in Las Vegas fights, will definitely be strutting his wares in one of its big arenas.
On the economic front, Genuino said the Bagong Nayon Pilipino-Manila Bay Integrated City will triple Pagcor's revenue to US$1.5 billion, half of which will go to the national treasury, aside from the ripples it will create in the construction, hotel, restaurant and other tourism-related industries.
"This project represents Pagcor's shift from mere gaming into wholesome, family-oriented recreation and entertainment. With this, we aim to make Pagcor the catalyst for economic progress and national development," he said.

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