A Bacolod c ouncilor said yesterday that his stand in favoring the operation of the Small Town Lottery in Bacolod City is to create demand for an alternative choice against the existence of illegal gambling now massively hounding Bacolod City.

Wilson Gamboa Jr. said that the government statement of an “all-out-war” or the Philippine National Police “one strike policy” is just taken lightly by these illegal operators so they might as well allow STL to counter the poor man's gambling through jueteng, jai-alai, masiao, daily double and “last two digits”.

Gamboa was among the Bacolod councilors who voted in favor of the resolution granting Super Lucky Beagler Inc. authority to operate STL in Bacolod City. Others who voted in favor were Councilors Alex Paglumotan, Noli Villarosa, Roberto Rojas, Em Ang, Caesar Distrito and Gamboa, while Councilors El Cid Familiaran and Sonya Verdeflor voted against it.

Gamboa said gambling is a pervasive and habitual activity deeply rooted in the Filipino social psyche and culture. Gambling is gambling, however and there is no difference among and between all forms of gambling (i.e. cockfights, lusok, casinos, etc.) even if others seem less evil although this can be regulated.

  Fr. Felix Pasquin, rector of the San Sebastian Cathedral, said the approval of STL in other places outside of Bacolod does not make it morally right for that place. Gambling is wrong and should not be encouraged among the people, he said.

Fr. Ernie Larida, Social Action Center director, had said they will campaign a against city officials who allow STL to operate in Bacolod.

Meanwhile, Familiaran said that although STL was approved during the term of President Arroyo, he was just being consistent when he voted against it. He was one of the few members of the Association of Barangay Captains who also voted against its operation in Bacolod when he was barangay captain, he said.

Familiaran said he has observed that if the national government cannot eradicate an illegal activity, it allows or legalizes it.

In the case of Lotto, one is assured that there will be taxes that will go to the government, unlike STL where there are bet collectors who he believes will just use their permits and ID's to collect bets but the people cannot be assured that 100 percent of the collection will be remitted since there is no safety nets, he said.

In the case of casinos, only the rich can afford it. But many wealthy people have become bankrupt due to gambling, he said.

Some people, especially the poor, will bet their last money hoping to win. But in STL the chances of winning is only one is to 40,000, he said.

Even Lotto has millions of combinations but one can be assured that it will go to the coffers of the government and the income will be returned to the people in terms of social services, Familiaran said.*CGS

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