BAGUIO CITY – Members of the Baguio-Benguet Ecumenical Group (BBEG) agreed to convene and organize a series of anti-gambling for a and consultations in order to inform the public on the evils of the proliferation of illegal and legal forms of gambling which would make them stand out to oppose gambling in the city.
Bishop Carlito Cenzon said there is a need for the local residents to be aware of the series negative effects of gambling to the peace and order of the city, family relations among others through a series of dialogues and consultations.
“We need to get our acts together in order to force concerned authorities to stop the proliferation of illegal and legal forms of gambling in our beloved city,” Cenzon stressed.
For his part, retired Pastor Simplicio Dang-awan of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) asserted the evil effects of gambling should be inculcated into the minds of the people in order for them to understand why gambling should not be allowed to exist in our city.
“We have difficulties settling the differences among spouses because of gambling that is why illegal and legal forms of gambling should not be allowed to proliferate in our city for us to be able to achieve lasting peace and have better family relations,” Pastor Dang-awan said.
Earlier, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the true sentiments of the people of Baguio must be considered on the proposal of the tourism sector to revive the operation of casino in the city.
“We must be extra careful in dealing with the situation. Let us listen to the plight of our people before deciding on whether or not to allow casino in the city. The results of the consultations will be our basis to decide on what are the rules to be put in place once casino will be allowed in the city,” Domogan said.
Bishop Cenzon argued the city should be gambling free because there has been too many forms of illegal and legal forms of gambling that thrived through the years amidst the city government’s repeated pronouncements against the existence of all forms of gambling in the city.
He said city officials have a lot of explaining to do on the sudden mushrooming of electronic bingo stations at the Baguio Center Mall, SM City Baguio and Marcos highway because there seems to be inconsistency on what happened that led to the issuance of permits not only from the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the city government.
According to Pastor Dang-awan, the schedules of the public for a and consultations that will be organized by the BBEG will be open to the people of Baguio and Benguet so that they will be oriented on why there is a need to stop the operation of all forms of illegal and legal gambling in the city.
Bishop Cenzon and Pastor Dang-awan called on senior citizens to help the cause of the ecumenical group in advocating the evils of gambling for the people to be able to understand and comprehend the negative effects of gambling to the overall peace and order situation and family relations in the city.
By Dexter A. See
