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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Mayor opposes small-town lottery
By Rimaliza Opiña
BAGUIO CITY -- Only a declaration from Congress would make Mayor Braulio Yaranon agree to the operation of the proposed small-town lottery (STL) in Baguio City.
Even while still on its experimental stage, Yaranon vowed not to allow the STL operation in Baguio, stressing that any form of gambling, whether sanctioned by the state or those that are illegal, should not be allowed to expand.
This is the reason why he ordered a stop to the bingo sosyal being conducted in some barangays and why he discontinued the issuance of business permits of additional lotto outlets, he said.
The Arroyo administration is promoting the STL operation in the barangays to stop the proliferation of the illegal numbers game jueteng and to provide employment for those displaced by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's order to rid the country of the "poor man's game."
The STL implementing rules and regulations are now being prepared by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) following a meeting between Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor, Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, and PCSO chairperson Sergio Valencia last March 22.
The provinces of Laguna, Quezon, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro and the cities of Angeles and Quezon were identified as pilot areas of the one-year STL experimental period.
Defensor said STL would be slowly implemented in other parts of the country if the Catholic Church and other sectors of society support the plan.
STL was first introduced during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino and was later revived during the administration of former President Joseph Estrada in the form of the Bingo 2-Ball. Both lotteries however failed to overturn the popularity of jueteng. (Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
(March 28, 2006 issue)
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