Resorts World Manila gets away with a slap on the wrist for 2017 attack

A joint panel of the Philippine House of Representatives has cleared management of Resorts World Manila (RWM) in the June 2017 attack that left 38 dead, according to local media outlet Rappler.

Although acknowledging security lapses that allowed gunman Jessie Carlos to enter the casino and set part of it on fire, members of the House committees on public order and safety, games and amusements, and tourism, decided merely to “exhort the RWM management to review the company’s security policies and strengthen their security and safety programs.”

Carlos, a problem gambler barred from entering casinos, managed to sneak into the casino with his firearm in a failed robbery attempt. Official investigation, however, confirmed that the victims suffocated to death from the fire Carlos had set. Carlos took his own life before the authorities could arrest him.

Among the security lapses listed in the committee report were “the lack of an efficient and effective security plan and protocol, lack of training and reduced deployment of security personnel.”