CIBAC Rep. Bro. Eddie Villanueva Decries Casino Licensing: ‘Expect Rise in Poverty and Other Evils of Gambling Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party-List Representative and House Deputy Speaker Bro. Eddie Villanueva expresses grave dismay over the recent lifting of moratorium on licensing of casinos, allowing the resumption of gambling operations in the country.
“We are terribly disappointed by this policy reversal on casino licensing ban in the country. Volumes of empirical studies have shown that a rise in gambling activity correlates with a rise in poverty, devastated families, mental disorders, and prevalence of social menaces like prostitution, drug trafficking, corruption, and money laundering. Government just reignited the engine of misery that gives rise to these gambling-related evils. Turning to gambling in the name of revenue generation is a hallucination. It’s no solution, just a trade-off. And the risks far outweigh any alleged benefit,” says Deputy Speaker Villanueva.
On Friday, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has lifted the ban on licensing new casinos after three years of halt. This happened after the President said in one of his televised addresses that he is now lifting the ban as a measure to raise more revenues amid the prolonged state of health emergency. The President also encouraged the establishment of a casino hub in Boracay as an alternative destination for Manila, which has been economically stagnated by successive strict quarantine restrictions.
“We are cognizant of the challenge to galvanize revenue for the pandemic response, but we reject the ineffective policy of turning to gambling and casinos. A real solution government can immediately implement is rectifying and rationalizing its skewed spending priorities and plugging the gaping holes of corruption that drain available public resources for battling COVID-19,” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.
“Ang mas malaking isyu ay kung nagagamit ba nang husto ang pondo na meron tayo ngayon. Are government funds being utilized to its optimum and maximum use? Eh sa mga lumalabas sa mga imbestigasyon natin sa Kongreso tungkol sa paggamit ng pondo laban sa COVID-19, katakot-takot na overpricing, underspending, at fund mismanagement ang nakikita natin. Bakit hindi seryosong aksyunan at linisin ang mga ito upang lubusang mapakinabangan ang pondong mayroon tayo ngayon?” adds the CIBAC lawmaker.
Prior to the pandemic, PAGCOR – the government’s third largest contributor of revenues next to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) – usually remitted around P80 billion of cash to the government. However, it was only able to generate P30 billion in 2020. For this year, PAGCOR is reportedly expecting to collect P35 billion, citing pandemic-induced economic sluggishness.
The CIBAC solon claims that efforts to boost revenue-generation must instead be focused on curbing tax evasion by large taxpayers and on arresting the problem of smuggling. He says that “the more viable solution is not to look for new risky sources of cash but to conduct a thorough fiscal housekeeping demanded by a pandemic situation.”
“Sadly, allowing casinos to operate again will only open a pipe dream trap for Filipinos to gamble away their pandemic-stricken savings for a slim chance of gaining more. And as our countrymen suffer from the evils of gambling, we risk becoming turn the online gambling capital of Asia, if not of the world, catering to foreign patrons from countries that have themselves banned gambling for the moral and social evils it creates,” exclaims the CIBAC lawmaker.
“Lastly, and most important of all, God abhors gambling. It feeds and promotes a person’s insatiable appetite and greed for money in pursuit of instant great wealth. A pro-gambling policy is a pro-curses policy. It invites divine judgment and is inimical to the interest of the Filipino people,” ends Deputy Speaker Villanueva.
