But why? I asked two top officials of the City and the City Council because as I told them: “I am not defending lotto. I raise the question because my mind and heart are troubled.”
The justification given by these two officials may be summarized as follows: 1. The decision by the Council was “influenced by the late former Mayor Tuting Perdices who established an anti-lotto stance”; 2. Provincial Ordinance No. 4, series 1996 prescribes that city and municipal governments in Negros Oriental must grant permits to lotto operators before they can operate; 3. “Statistics show that P10 million (of taxes from lotto) is due to the City every month, but the City only received P6 million the past nine years.”
While indeed, we need to venerate the memory of the late Mayor Perdices for his strong stance against lotto, and I presume also against gambling in a University Town, did anyone ask him why he was against lotto but permitted cockfighting in the City during his watch? (Perdices served 19 years as mayor of Dumaguete.)
It also appears that Provincial Ordinance no. 4 was not implemented by local city and municipalities based on a report by Dems Demecillo (Negros Chronicle, July 08, 2012): “Unknown to many, while city officials and guardians of morals loudly express their vehement opposition to gambling, in particular against lotto operations, Dumaguete City earned P6.7 million as its shares from ticket sales since 1999. The provincial government earned P2.54 million in LGU shares in the same period.
“In fact, all the cities and municipalities of Negros Oriental, except one, have lotto outlets and are enjoying their proceeds for many years now. The only exception is the town of La Libertad, which has no record, except for one fleeting instance, that it allowed the opening and operation of a lotto outlet.
“Board Member Saleto Erames, who briefly appeared during the public hearing, took pains in explaining that he merely authored an ordinance that regulated state-sponsored gambling since the local government units cannot prohibit it outright despite expressed desire of former Gov. Emilio Macias II, former City Mayor Agustin Perdices and Archbishop Merlin Logronio.
“Opponents of lotto fear that if one lotto franchise applicant is approved by the City Council, it will open the floodgates of dozens more sprouting like mushrooms in all corners of the City.
“Even if disapproved, lotto operators will likely relocate or open up stores just outside the City’s boundaries in Bacong, Sibulan and Valencia, where opposition against lotto is perceived to be weak.”
Regarding the low collection of lotto taxes, I pointed out this is a failure of the tax collectors of the City, and a failure on the part of City personnel, and should not be used to justify the banning of lotto outlets.
Since the City Council official could not provide a satisfactory answer to my question, he texted me: “I am not sure if I am of any help to your concern.”
But my question remains: City Council says ‘no’ to lotto, but says ‘yes’ to cockfights? Why?! His answer was a weak: “Another issue for another day, perhaps?”
Another day is too late, sir. Meanwhile, indigent patients of Dumaguete will not receive any financial help from the Philippine Charity & Sweepstakes Office, and will have to depend on the Department of Social Welfare & Development.
With thousands of indigent patients needing help, they will have to compete with each other in begging for help from the DSWD. Even the PCSO ambulance donated in 1996 is in the junk yard. Another day can be too late for those who are poor.
On Sept. 8, Foundation University will launch one of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, the PCSO-FU Walkers for Life for Wellness & Walkable Communities, with no less that PCSO chairperson Margie Juico in attendance.
This project envisions to provide a counter-measure to the health and environmental risks that Negrenses are prone to, because of the dubious reputation of our locality as the “Motorcycle Capital of the Philippines”.
With FU as the proponent and implementer of the project, I was mentally and spiritually troubled by the banning of lotto in the City. The project is PCSO-funded with an initial grant of P100,000.
However, with the knowledge that even the strongest proponents of the banning of lotto outlets could not enlighten me, I may still harbor some doubts in my mind and heart. This will not move me to convince the FU community to cancel the project. We have to proceed with its implementation, and hope it will serve as a template for others to emulate with the support of lottery money–or through other means.
The moral and legal issues of lotto, cockfighting, jueteng, masiao, sweepstakes tickets, and other games of chance–even mahjong (a favorite pastime), for that matter, in our University Town, remains in the words of the City Council official: “Another issue for another day, perhaps?”
