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Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Unauthorized bingo activities must be stopped: mayor
BINGO activities without permit from the City Government of Baguio must be ended.
Mayor Braulio Yaranon issued the statement in his memorandum to Public Order and Safety Office head Emmanuel Reyes.
"You are hereby advised that this Office cannot issue any permit to bingo or similar games, the same being illegal," the mayor noted, saying the stand is supported by the recent decision of the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing the case filed by the operator of the Bingo Social activities at the Dangwa Compound against the mayor and Reyes.
The decision, Yaranon said, "stresses that only the city mayor has authority to issue business permits only for lawful businesses and activities."
The mayor's memorandum was meant to clear the issue on bingo activities being advocated in some barangays of Baguio.
The bingo raffles, described as a spin-off of the Bingo 2-Ball, were reportedly conducted in certain barangays as fund-raising activities of the barangay councils.
Some barangay officials are reportedly receptive to the program believing it is a legal means of raising funds for their barangay programs. Some said the bingo raffles might be an effective way to curb illegal gambling activities like jueteng and monte.
But Yaranon maintained his stand that the City Government cannot issue permit for the barangay bingo activities because these are prohibited under the law and are therefore considered illegal activities.
He said contrary to some barangay chairmen's beliefs, bingo remains to be a prohibited gambling activity based on Presidential Decree (PD) 1602. The mayor had also said bingo is also prohibited under Letter of Intent 816 and Section 391 (11) of the Local Government Code.
"So unless amended, the law remains enforceable thus we can't issue any permit to such activities," he said.
Yaranon said whatever wrong perception the barangay chairmen had on the legality of the bingo must have been corrected upon the issuance of the decision of the Ombudsman, which gave emphasis on the local chief executive's power and authority "to abrogate illegal activities" like bingo raffles that were not covered by any business permit from the mayor's office.
Yaranon, upon his assumption to office, had made his position clear against illegal gambling. He said his stand is anchored on the Baguio residents' sentiments against the social menace and is backed by local laws.
He said Resolution 122-2002 clearly elucidates the city's stand against gambling and it is to be expected that the law will be asserted by his administration at all costs.
Resolution 122-02 entitled "Expressing the Sentiment of the People of Baguio and the Policy of the City Government against Gambling" was passed by the City Council on June 26, 2002. (AR)
(December 27, 2005 issue)
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