By Neil Jerome Morales
MANILA, July 2 (Reuters) - The Philippine unit of Japan's Universal Entertainment Corp is no longer acquiring a majority stake in PH Resorts' gaming project in the central Philippines, PH Resorts said on Tuesday.
In a filing to the stock exchange, PH Resorts said it received a letter terminating a deal for Universal's Okada Manila to buy a majority stake in the company's Emerald Bay gaming project in Cebu province.
The companies failed to agree to a valuation, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. One of the sources said PH Resorts wants the buyer to pay the casino's debts due in July, which Okada was not in favour of.
Shares in PH Resorts slumped as much as 29% to a nine-month intraday low following the disclosure. Okada Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
PH Resorts will engage with other companies that have already expressed interest in the Emerald Bay project, company president Raymundo Martin Escalona said in a statement.
It was already the third cancelled deal for the stalled project of PH Resorts, which is owned by Dennis Uy, a close associate of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Uy's conglomerate engaged in an aggressive, debt-backed expansion during Duterte's term, but was forced to sell companies following the pandemic.
Okada Manila was looking to expand its footprint outside of Manila where it operates a $3.3 billion gambling resort. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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