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[av_heading heading=’VIEWPOINTS | Institutional gambling’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY OSCAR CRUZ
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Thursday, June 22, 2017
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THE TITLE “Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.” – and so with all downright casinos with innocent names or titles – is in reality but an euphemism for downright institutional gambling unlimited – not simply innocent “gaming” as games are commonly and rightfully understood.
There is no such thing as “amusement” for people who gamble their money away, who take risks with their family fortune, who expose themselves to living in deceit and/or corruption to finance their gambling fixation – in a good number of cases, even making themselves downright gambling addicts.
Finally, the title “Philippine” actually stands for the national government itself that is wherefore the entity protecting and promoting the gambling industry and culture in the country through a legal corporate creation called PAGCOR.
Open, public, official and institutional gambling – this is PAGCOR. This is an eminent government-owned and controlled corporation. This is how far the Philippine government has gone to propagate and inculcate the vice of gambling in the country. This is how much national leaderships in the recent past have gone forward in cultivating the vice of downright gambling in place of the virtues of industry and toil.
PAGCOR stands for practically anything but something innocent and wholesome, noble and virtuous. In fact it can readily stand for avarice and greed, shame and disrepute.
In a futile attempt to validate and legitimize its operational existence, it spends a sizable amount of money for extensive public relations and continuous self-praise advertisements – calling the attention of even foreign gamblers.
It loudly and repeatedly extols its so-called social welfare ventures while remaining absolutely silent about the individuals and families it has been breaking for long, the moral values and sound social traits it is continuously destroying.
In particular, it is practically impossible to trace the big funds it funnels to whom and what for – comfortably forgetting the truth that “The end does not justify the means.”
Considering the significance and implications of the above factors, it is understandable that PAGCOR is a dangerous corporate entity to confront, to quarrel with. Say what it is in reality, speak of its deleterious effects, point out the serious social liabilities it causes and it fiercely fights back using the virtually unlimited funds in its command and putting to action the big money-influence it has.
For what it could be worth, this I have to say: When I started waging counter-jueteng moves, what were thrown in my way were money baits and depreciating gossips. But when I began moving against PAGCOR, there appeared shadowy surveillance characters, plus threats through phone calls and text messages.
Far it be for me to say that all these have PAGCOR as their origin. One, however, cannot but have his own personal and strong suspicion as I did. PAGCOR and jueteng are not twins but close siblings they are, and each has its own way of assuring not only its self-preservation but also its own self-promotion – for one and only fundamental reason: Money, money and more money – and all the power and pride, pleasure and vices it brings.
How true is the saying that “Money is the root of all evil,” – specially on the part of those who adore it./PN
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