Senator lauds QC mayor for firm stand vs small town lottery

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. has lauded Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. for his steadfast stand against the operation of the small town lottery (STL) in his city.

Pimentel also urged the mayor not to bow to Malacañang pressure to allow the resumption of the numbers game on an "experimental run."

The senator said the Palace, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Department of Interior and Local Government should respect  Belmonte’s decision.

The Quezon City mayor has opposed the STL operations in the city based on his firm belief that the government has no business sponsoring and promoting any form of gambling because it erodes the moral foundation of the citizens.

"As local chief executive of Quezon City, Mayor Belmonte has taken the position that STL, or any form of gambling for that matter, is inimical to the welfare of his constituents," Pimentel said.

He praised Belmonte for believing that it is wrong to encourage the people to gamble away their hard-earned money and crave for instant fortune instead of instilling in them the moral values of industry and perseverance.

Upon Belmonte’s order, the police stopped the operation of STL in Quezon City despite the objection of the Benchmark Acquisition International Corp., which was authorized by the PCSO to be its local gaming agent in the premier city.

Benchmark’s STL operation was backed by a resolution from the Quezon City Council.

But Belmonte said the operation was illegal because it has no business permit from his office.

In supporting the mayor’s move, Pimentel said Malacañang should not insist on the STL operation in Quezon City if the decision of the mayor is not to allow it. He stressed that local government units are autonomous.

Pimentel was vocal in assailing the government for assuming the role as gambling operator instead of mounting a no-nonsense crackdown on jueteng and forcefully implementing the new anti-gambling law.

"I am against STL because it means the government has given up the fight against illegal gambling.  It’s a cop-out. Now, it’s the government that is acting like a jueteng lord," he said.

Pimentel said the launching of STL could not be justified by the revenues that the government would supposedly generate from the numbers game.

The senator said  the income earned from the ordinary people  should have otherwise spent for the food, medicines, education and other basic needs of their families.