3 Cabinet execs at Resorts World minutes before attack
Three members of President Duterte’s Cabinet missed by a few minutes the chilling attack at Resorts World Manila (RWM) in Pasay City past midnight on Friday.
Secretaries Arturo Tugade of Transportation, Mark Villar of Public Works and Highways and Benjamin Diokno of Budget and Management were having a late dinner at Passion, a Chinese restaurant on the second floor leading to the gaming area of the casino of RWM Thursday night when, a few moments later, a lone gunman started shooting and set the casino area on fire.
Eyewitnesses said that a little past midnight, they saw the still unidentified gunman in a black hoodie and fatigues casually walk into the casino area with an automatic rifle. He then set the baccarat tables on fire by pouring liquid from bottles that turned out to be gasoline.
RWM chief operating officer Stephen Reilly joined the three Cabinet officials over dinner. Also present was newly appointed Palace social media assistant secretary Mocha Uson, who posted on her Facebook account the live-streaming of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAX) inaugural drivethrough.
Diokno told The STAR that the three of them left Passion around 11 p.m. to lead the ceremonial drive-through of NAIAX, whose endpoint is located just across RWM.
But the program for the inaugural drive-through required them to join San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang, who was waiting for them at the other end of the NAIAX in Buendia.
Ang personally drove the car to signal the full opening of the NAIAX.
The inaugural drive-through was done so late in the night, Diokno explained, because they did not want to disturb the traffic flow.
None of them had any inkling of the incident at RWM.
“I came to know about it about 5 a.m., when I turned on my TV,” Diokno said.
2-hour lockdown
NAIA was placed under a two-hour lockdown following the RWM attack.
The main gates of the four NAIA terminals were closed from 1:45 a.m. to 3:45 a.m. Friday.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal ordered the closure due to the proximity of NAIA to RWM.
“We wanted to make sure that the situation will not pose a threat to our operations,” he said.
At the same time, the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) heightened the security condition of NAIA to security condition (SECCO) 3 as a deterrent against attempts to disrupt peace and order in the airports.
Under OTS guidelines, SECCO level 3 means specific protective measures are maintained for a limited time when a security incident is imminent or probable.
MIAA security, on the other hand, has also been placed on high alert status.
The following extra measures are being implemented: (1) heightened screening process, in which passengers are advised to be at the airport earlier so as not to miss their flights; (2) joint deployment of Airport Police Department (APD) special reaction personnel and APD terminal police at parking areas to conduct blocking operations; (3) augmentation of traffic personnel at all checkpoints to conduct rigid vehicle inspection and (4) deployment of special reaction personnel at NAIAX toll gate leading to NAIA terminals 1, 2 and 3.
80,000 to gain from NAIAX
Some 80,000 daily travelers are expected to benefit from the completion of the P20.45-billion NAIAX that connects to the NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3, Cavitex, Skyway and Entertainment City.
The NAIAX Project is a four-lane, 12.65-kilometer elevated expressway (including ramps) and 2.22-kilometer at-grade road traversing Sales Avenue, Andrews Avenue, Parañaque River, MIAA Road and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard.
The NAIAX has cut the average travel time from the Skyway and Terminal 1 to eight minutes from more than 25 minutes.
“The NAIA Expressway project is expected to…reduce travel time from the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to NAIA from one hour to 20 minutes,” Villar cited in brief remarks after the inaugural drivethrough.
“A total of 17 off- and on-ramps have been constructed along strategic locations at Villamor Airbase, Resorts World, NAIA Terminal 3, MIAA Road, Imelda Avenue, Cavitex, Seaside Drive and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard,” Villar said.
In December last year, one lane of the NAIAX was opened to allow motorists coming from Skyway to go directly to NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3 or Macapagal Boulevard.