ONE last obstacle to hurdle and the small-town lottery (STL) proposal will end up in the garbage bin.
“It is time to hammer the last nail on the STL coffin,” states a portion of the City Council committee on laws report regarding several proposals for the operation of STL here.
In rejecting the proposals, the committee also recommended that all other proposals made during the tenure of the present City Council will no longer be entertained.
Once the City Council approves the committee recommendation, STL in Baguio will never take off.
Transformation Network spokesperson Alexander Bangsoy, meanwhile, commended the committee for heeding public clamor even as he called on residents of Baguio to remain vigilant. “Once again the people of Baguio had risen as one to oppose gambling,” he said.
Pending before the committee are five proposals to hold either a test-run or complete operation of STL.
Basis for the recommendation was the objection of several groups as presented in a public hearing last June 17 as well as the absence of proponents during the hearing.
Even representatives of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) were absent on the day the consultation was held.
The listed addresses of Green 2 Corporation in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija and Joecalf Amusement Corporation in Lucena City, Quezon could not be located by the postal office. “This is significant. To the mind of the committee, the proponents are not transparent of their real intention,” said Bangsoy.
Meanwhile, the committee also reiterated its call for all law enforcement agencies, barangay officials and all residents of Baguio to do their share in eradicating all forms of illegal gambling.
The report will be submitted to the City Council for approval of a majority of its members and then for signing by the vice mayor and mayor.
