Almost a year after the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport confirmed a plan to revive the popular jai alai game in Cagayan province, nothing much has been heard from the project. The grapevine said construction of the jai alai fronton remained in progress but it was nowhere close to completion.

Nilo Aldeguer, deputy administrator of the Cagayan zone, did not respond to attempts by this writer to inquire about the status of the proposed jai alai project in the province. Aldeguer, along with other officials of the zone, caught the ire of lawmakers last year amid allegations of rampant smuggling of second-hand imported cars in Port Irene.

Senator Francis Escudero, as chairman of the Senate ways and means committee last year, threatened to file charges against zone officials for car smuggling, citing Executive Order 156, which banned the importation of used motor vehicles. Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz also slammed the Cagayan zone for allowing online gambling operations even without a franchise from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Nothing much was also heard from Eusko Basque of Spain, which had planned to team up with a local company to operate the fronton within the zone.

Construction of the fronton in Sta. Ana has surprised many town residents. First Cagayan Resort and Leisure Corp., holder of a gaming franchise in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, had long started laying the groundwork for the return of the Basque game to the Philippines. It is building the fronton in the remote town to bolster the area?s image as an entertainment center in the north.

First Cagayan appears to be so confident of securing a Congressional franchise to operate jai alai that it went ahead in building the fronton, even before the finalization of a deal with Eusko Basque. The jai alai game is being trumpeted by the Cagayan ecozone, along with a plan to host the first dog-racing sport, popular in South America and Macau.

First Cagayan aims to conduct betting operations in jai alai and dog racing through the Internet, or online, with the games and races done physically within the zone.

Franchise critical

The absence of a Congressional franchise, however, could discourage Eusko Basque from pursuing the jai alai game, which was banned by former President Corazon Aquino in 1986.

Belle Corp., now owned by the group of retail magnate Henry Sy Sr., was the last company that tried to operate a jai alai game in the Philippines, in partnership with Pagcor. Belle failed to obtain a Congressional franchise, resulting in the steep fall of the company?s share price in the stock market in the late 90?s.

But the grapevine said jai alai proponents, including the Cagayan zone, were pursuing the project despite possible legal technicalities on the franchise. The zone actually is banking on its mandate to issue gaming licenses.

A successful jai alai operation in Cagayan will transform the area into a major gambling complex. It will join the first online casino complex set up in the town, which is operated by Eastern Hawaii Online Gambling and Casino Corp., owned by businessman Kim Wong and his Asian partners.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@manilastandardtoday.com