“Who is this person?”
On September 20, 2016, Malacañang issued Memorandum Circular No. 6 which categorically prohibits government officials and employees from going to any gambling casino, unless their presence there is justified by their official duties and functions.
Memorandum Circular No. 6 reiterates the prohibition recited in Presidential Decree No. 1067-B, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1869. Both presidential decrees have the force and effect of law, and as of this writing, Congress has not amended them.
The memorandum circular explicitly states that “the mere entry or presence of government officials or employees in a gambling casino shall be considered as conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.” Further, the circular states that the presence of government personnel in a gambling casino has a “negative effect on the public perception of government service as a whole.
Memorandum Circular No. 6 aside, gambling itself is a deplorable vice. Gambling casinos are designed to attract customers, and the temptation to win money, and big money at that, is almost impossible for many to ignore.
Since the odds at the gambling tables are always in favor of the house, casino operations are always profitable as long as there are gamblers patronizing such establishments.
Indeed, many a gambler wastes away his money, whether hard-earned or borrowed, or in the case of some government officials, stolen from the people’s coffers, in the hope of making easy money at the gambling tables.
Many ordinary citizens have called my attention to the presence of government officials inside gambling casinos, mostly those operating in Manila and Pasay City. In particular, my attention has been repeatedly invited to a current candidate for president who very frequently goes to the casinos, where he loses tens of millions of pesos during each visit.
Gambling casinos in the Philippines operate under the supervision of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). The top management of Pagcor may not be aware of it, but this candidate for president has a section in the casinos he visits segregated for him and his select companions.
Obviously, that special privilege has the tacit approval of some middle-level Pagcor officials assigned to the said candidate’s choice gambling hideouts. That arrangement violates Memorandum Circular No. 6 issued by Malacañang.
Where is this presidential candidate getting all that money for his expensive casino adventures? His annual salary as an incumbent government official is certainly not enough to pay for just one night’s gambling losses. Citizens, therefore, have good reason to suspect that this guy’s casino expenditures are financed by big time suppliers, oligarchs with interests to protect, and businessmen who do not want government to pry into their nefarious trades.
The big irony is that this candidate for president likes to portray himself in his costly prime time television commercials as somebody who used to be poor, but who ended up successful by his sheer determination. His commercials suggest that because of his “rags to riches” story, the electorate should feel obligated to elect him president, but without using the phrase “vote for” found in hardsell political advertisements.
Nevertheless, this candidate’s commercials are conveniently silent about his very expensive gambling habit. They are also silent about his hidden wealth.
Another irony is that the vice presidential running mate of this presidential candidate is mindlessly unaware of the latter’s addiction to big time gambling. Obviously, this candidate for vice president does not know what he is talking about, each time he publicly extols the “virtues” of his presidential running mate. Actually, he has no choice because the unidentified businessmen supporting his presidential running mate is bankrolling their entire political campaign
Observers suspect that the said vice presidential candidate was asked to run in order to deodorize the candidate for president in case serious issues are raised against the latter.
This candidate for president used to be in good terms with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, until they had a falling out last year when partisan political lines were starting to be drawn by wannabes for the presidency.
I see this candidate for president as a political opportunist of the lowest order. He used to be critical about the administration of President Duterte, but he started pulling his punches, so to speak, after he learned that President Duterte may be shopping for a presidential candidate to endorse in this year’s elections.
This casino enthusiast has not been doing very well in the latest opinion surveys relating to the coming election for president. His campaign is in desperate need of a shot in the arm, and no sponsors are falling for his claim to being the best among the candidates for president.
If this guy is elected president, public money will be wasted away at the gambling casinos.
Good sense dictates that voters should reject this candidate on election day.