'Submit bingo domino to referendum'

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile proposed yesterday that the raging debate on the controversial bingo domino be submitted to a national referendum to determine the people's sentiment on the issue.

Enrile, chairman of the Senate ways and means committee, issued the proposal during a public hearing on a bill seeking to regulate the powers of the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to establish, operate and maintain gambling facilities in the country.

"The better way of dealing with this is to throw this to the people in a plebiscite. After all, they are the ones affected," Enrile said.

Pagcor Chairwoman Alice Reyes has reported to President Estrada that so far, Pagcor has agreed only in principle to the concept of the bingo domino which she claimed was different from jueteng, an illegal numbers game.

During the Senate hearing, Reyes clarified that a bettor in bingo domino has to choose two numbers from 1 to 75, unlike jueteng where the numbers being played are from 1 to 37.

She also said bingo domino players have to go to specific betting stations to place their bets, while jueteng aficionados simply wait for the bet collectors right in their own homes or office.

Reyes also told the senators that bingo domino can not be implemented yet because the guidelines have yet to be drawn up for approval by Pagcor.