Gambling does not attract foreign investment, says Cruz

Anti-gambling advocate Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz yesterday said that foreign investors bring their money into a country not because of its flashy Las Vegas-style casinos but because of its good track record against corruption.

Cruz told Radio Veritas that he disagrees with the argument of Trade Secretary Peter Favila that some countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia, were able to attract foreign investments primarily because of their entertainment and private gaming.

“I don’t know how he came up with this idea. Malaysia and Singapore were able to improve their economy because their governments were clean. Foreign investors bring in their money because they know that the government in these countries were not corrupt,” said Cruz, who heads the Krusadang Bayan Laban sa Jueteng.

On the other hand, some businessmen shy away from the Philippines because of corruption, Cruz stressed.

He reiterated that while some members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) are not as vocal as he is in expressing their views against gambling, the local Catholic Church is united in its position against gambling, both legal and illegal, in the country.

The former CBCP president said that gambling would never become acceptable to the Catholic Church.

Last April, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) launched the Bagong Nayong Pilipino-Manila Bay Integrated City (or Tourism City) that would reportedly serve not only as a gambling institution but also provide wholesale entertainment to its clients.

The Tourism City would be built on a 90-hectare property at the Reclamation Area of the Macapagal Boulevard.