Court orders management to vacate Legenda hotel

Subic Bay Freeport: The Local Court of Olongapo City has ordered the management of Legend International Resort Limited, which operates the Legenda Hotel and Casino to vacate the premises of the said hotel.

Legenda management was given only 3 days to vacate the said hotel which was based on a writ of execution issued by the RTC that also ordered the LIRL to pay back rentals to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Aside from vacating the premises, the LIRL was also ordered to pay the SBMA $225,886 for base rent and unpaid sublease shares on the Legenda hotel properties for the period April 2002-January 2003; P872.5 million as rent for casino facilities for the period September 2000-May 2009; and P941,562 as sublease share for the long-term occupancy agreement between the LIRL and its concessionaire GYU International, Inc. for the period September 2007-May 2009.

The MTCC ruling also compelled the LIRL to pay the SBMA a total of P10.96 million for the cost of the lawsuit.

According to Marian Ravelo, clerk of court at RTC Branch 75, the SBMA filed a motion for execution on November 16, more than one month after the October 8, 2009 ruling by the MTCC.

The motion, in turn, was granted by the RTC on December 2, Ravelo added.

Legenda first came under fire in 2006 after Pagcor revoked the gaming license of its casino for allegedly holding an illegal cockfight inside the casino and for its failure to pay the government more than P365 million in license fees.

Source said Ocean 9 a Korean company is interested in occupying the said hotel and operate its own casino hotel resort.