"They gambled over my clothes." (John 19:24)
My dear brothers and sisters, my dear young people and children:
The people who committed the heinous crime of crucifying Christ further engaged in the degrading vice or gambling at the foot of the cross, in front of a dying Savior. What a shameless act! What a scandalous behavior!
It is in the context of this sad episode in the
last minutes of the life of Christ on earth that I wish to address the
once again emerging vice of gambling -- specifically that of "jueteng"
-- in our dear province of Pangasinan.
For the moment, allow me to call your attention
to the following more general truths about the serious social evils brought
about by "jueteng" in our country as a whole:
Second: Gambling such as "jueteng" is never a
vice alone by itself. The truth is that it causes other vices such as graft
and corruption, cheating and stealing, dishonesty and deception. In fact,
we are told that "jueteng" money is used to bribe public officials, to
purchase guns and pay for goons, to buy votes even when election comes.
Yes, "jueteng" is a fundamental evil because it gives rise to other serious
social evils in our country!
Third: The vice of "jueteng" has not and will
not bring prosperity to our country. The truth is that it makes the poor
even poorer.
"Jueteng" has not and will not make us an
industrious nation, a working people. The truth is that it breeds indolence,
it teaches the "baka sakali" mentality, it makes individuals and even families
dependent on "buenas" when it is "malas" that befalls most of them! Gambling is a vice, irrespective of whether the
bets are big or small. Gambling is a vice, irrespective of whether the
bettors are rich or poor. Gambling is a vice, irrespective of whether one
appears to win or actually loses. No matter how people try to justify it,
gambling is not, cannot and will never become a virtue. It is a vice, and
a vice it remains.
There is so little money on hand. Why throw this
away to gambling? There are so many necessities we have, why spend instead
for "jueteng"? There are so many poor people in need, why enrich instead
the "jueteng" operators?
We have to get rid of gambling whereas this is
a veritable social cancer. (Next week, I shall once bring to your attention
the evils that "jueteng" brings us, brings our province, our country.
Very sincerely yours in the Good Lord,
(SGD) +Oscar V. Cruz, DD
First: the uprising though peaceful,
massive though orderly recent uprising of well meaning people that dismissed
the highest government official in the land, precisely started by the expose
of the rampant vice of "jueteng" in the country, the province of Pangasinan
well included. This only goes to prove that "jueteng" is not a small thing.
It destroyed no less than a national presidency!
"Jueteng" has not and will not contribute
to the financial welfare of people. The truth is that is sucks their money
and places this instead in the hands of the financiers and gambling lords.
My dear brothers and sisters, my dear young people
and children: to place "jueteng" bets is to promote vice. To patronize
"jueteng" is to make gambling lords richer. To allow "jueteng" to go n
is to downgrade our human dignity, to destroy our value system, our youth,
our community.
Archbishop
17 February 2001