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Wednesday, July 24, 2002
EDITORIAL: Saving face
THE city council will meet this Thursday for what they call will be the third and final reading of the Bingo Ordinance. Some say it will be a reading while others say it will be a last public hearing on the proposal.
Whatever will happen on Thursday will depend on what the people will do today.
The religious sector should not be contented with what they did last week.
They should not rest on their laurels with the thought that they have swayed the Pro-Bingo lawmakers to their side. Far from it, they should never end their vigilance until the last nail should be nailed on the coffin for the Bingo ordinance.
Unofficial sources said the Bingo operators expected to earn an average of P100,000 pesos a day from their operation of an outlet in this city. We doubt if that is the true figure. What we are sure is that the operators will be earning millions in a month from hard-earned money of the poor in Zamboanga.
The rich and the wealthy in this city will not go to the trouble of buying those Bingo cards, sitting through while the numbers are called out to win a few thousand pesos a day. The filthy rich won't go to that trouble. The ones who will play their last peso in the game are the poor who are prone to dream of riches beyond their means. These are the people who will enrich the Bingo operators from out of town.
With this in mind, we doubt if the Bingo proponents will, tuck their tails between their legs and return to where they come from. They have already started a lobby for the game and we suspect that they will insist, by hook or by crook, to operate the money making venture here.
On the other hand, the pro bingo councilors are biding their time until the rage over their indiscretion will die down.
They will pretend to listen to the people and do what they want.
When was the time that elected leaders acted in defense of the poor? |
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