ILOILO City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod is against illegal gambling but gambling during wakes should be allowed, according to Councilor Carlos “Jojo” Javellana, chairperson of the Committee on Police Matters, Public Safety, Order, and Security.
He agreed with the position of Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa, director of the Philippine National Police (PNP), that gambling during wakes should be tolerated but that there must not be too many gambling tables.
Javellana said gambling during wakes is a means for poor families to help defray funeral expenses.
“It is not just a way of keeping mourners around. It also generates funds for burial expenses,” he stressed.
According to Javellana, gambling during wakes should not be prohibited for as long as this is exercised in moderation.
“In our country, gambling during wakes is not just a pastime but a tradition,” he added.
During a recent visit to the wake of Police Captain Efren Espanto Jr. – who was killed in an encounter with rebels in Janiuay, Iloilo on Feb. 12 – at the Police Regional Office 6 in Camp Delgado here, Gamboa said there were no official PNP guidelines yet on gambling during wakes but stressed there should be a few tables only, such as one for mahjong and one for tong-its.
The police may make arrests if gambling during wakes has become unbridled, he said.
The most popular games in wakes – which runs for days if not weeks until the burial – are mahjong and card games of various kinds.
“Ang problema kasi nag-e-extend ng maraming tables,” said Gamboa, lamenting that such is already going beyond the spirit of why authorities are tolerant of gambling during wakes./PN
