Bad Thing About Gambling and Lottery

By Boy Guingguing

Sunday Post

Cong. Jala and his Small Tong Lottery 

 Pardon this play of words about the favorite numbers game of Cong. Adam Relson Jala. 

 The young solon is all over town to preach the gospel of the Small Town Lottery. 

 He has already touched base with the church and last time we heard, he was politely repudiated by church dignitaries. 

 In no uncertain terms, the church was so vocal about its objection of Jala’s proposed project. 

 The third district lawmaker also sought an audience with big business but a votation showed  that STL only enjoyed a hairline opposition. Nice try. So Bohol’s chamber of commerce is sharply divided about the proposal. But a source from the same business group intimated to this BGlante that another meeting is scheduled next month with a voting pattern expected to thrash the Jala STL plan. 

 In a recent talk with the third district lawmaker, he egged this BGlante  to qualify his position towards STL. By all means. 

 Let it be said here for the first  time and all the time thereafter that  there is no way that this state-sponsored gambling will occupy a soft spot in our heart. 

 In short, we are all-out against this form of gambling. No ifs, no buts. 

 Cong. Jala rationalized his STL advocacy that it is his way of curbing if not eliminating illegal gambling. My foot.

 For the information of the young congressman, we were not born yesterday to buy this kind of baloney. 

 When lotto was introduced with the pompous billing that it would stamp out masiao, nobody took it with a grain of salt.

 What happened was that masiao did suffer a natural death only to rear its ugly head in the form of swertres . The same dog with a different collar. 

 If we are in the animal kingdom, just what kind of predator is this STL that it packs a lot of  muscle that can  kill swertres? 

 Truth is, propagating the myth that STL is the antidote of swertres is a stupid argument. 

 The truth of the matter is swertres will take  a life of its own while STL will

 co-exist to widen the field of choice among inveterate gamblers. 

 The attraction to LGUs that they will be given  part of the action may be one consolation that some mayors may find irresistible. But is this so-called positive side of STL  justify the evil consequences  that may be brought to bear  the gambling population? 

 Our country is already mired in so many forms of gambling, illegal or  state-sanctioned. 

 In Luzon they have the two-draw a day jueteng coupled with the daily lotto with its different number derivatives. In the Visayas and Mindanao, we have swertres and the daily lotto. What more can we ask for in the name of this gambling culture? 

 Then, if we choose to be indifferent in Bohol, we will wake up one morning with  STL all over the towns. 

 Before it’s too late, we should stand up us one  and rally behind the church’s call to block the entry of STL in Bohol. For all you know, this new numbers game is just another small tong lottery that by all means should be trashed with feelings by all law-abiding citizens.