House Panels Issue Subpoena to Travellers Int’l Board Chairman

The House committees on public order and security, games and amusement and tourism on Wednesday issued a subpoena to David Ming Huat Chua, chairman of the board of Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., owner and operator of Resorts World Manila.

Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas moved to issue a subpoena against Chua, who failed to appear on the second hearing on the Resorts World attack last June 2 that left 38 people dead, including the lone gunman Jessie Carlos.

According to Resorts World Manila president Kingson Sian, the Travellers International board chairman has been out of the country since June 11.

”He is the chairman of a corporation where 37 people have died. He doesn’t even find time to come here and personally condone with people or personally see what has happened?,” Fariñas asked.

Sian explained that Chua was in the country after the tragic incident and was able to visit the wakes of the victims as well as those who were wounded in the attack.

“He was here at the beginning and in fact visited the deceased but also went to the various hospitals to visit the injured,” Sian said.

Fariñas also moved to hold in abeyance his previous motion to submit the complete CCTV footage covering the period of May 31 to June 2.

To recall, the lawmakers during the first hearing last week requested the submission of pertinent documents and CCTV footage taken from May 31 to June 2, copies of reports, briefers and manuals of procedures during emergency for review of the committees.

Resorts World Manila chief operating officer Stephen James Reilly explained that it will take approximately 33 days to provide the committee the full CCTV footage.

The Resorts World Management was only able to submit CCTV footage covering the period from 8 p.m. of June 1 to noon of June 2.

Sian said the submitted CCTV footage with audio recording shows the assailant entering the casino as well as the VIP salon where some of the victims hid.

Sian said the footage with audio recording will provide a “better picture” to contextualize the casino attack, wherein a “situation of fear” was created. Hence, most of the victims refused to come out of their hiding places.

“Based on our expert’s testament, around 300 rounds fired or heard in the audio,” Sian said. (Filane Mikee Z. Cervantes/PNA)