House minority leader Danilo Suarez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
LUCENA CITY鈥擧ouse Minority Leader Danilo Suarez has asked Sen. Panfilo Lacson to reconsider his proposal to stop the operation of Small Town Lottery (STL), saying it would lead to job losses in provinces where the government-sanctioned game was played.
Suarez, who represents the third district of Quezon province, expressed concern that more than 400,000 people employed as 鈥渒ubradores鈥� (bet collectors), 鈥渒abo鈥� (supervisors) and 鈥渞ebisadores鈥� (bet checkers) would lose their jobs once the government stopped STL.
Illegal activities
He said most STL workers were no longer eligible for the government鈥檚 job placement program. 鈥淭hey are past their 鈥� working age; most of them are already senior citizens,鈥� he said.
鈥淥nce STL operations stop, where will these workers go? We will be pushing them to resort to illegal activities鈥攄rug pushing, robbery, or return to underground 鈥榡ueteng鈥� operation鈥攋ust to feed their hungry family members,鈥� Suarez said in a phone interview on Friday.
Lacson claimed on Wednesday that the government was losing at least P4 billion a month鈥攐r P48 billion a year鈥� to gambling lords who operated STL outlets.
Stamp out jueteng
Lacson, chair of the Senate committee on games and amusement, disclosed the foregone revenue from STL during a hearing on his bill seeking to create a Philippine Charity Office (PCO).
Lacson said STL might be prohibited altogether under his proposed PCO if the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office could not control and contain STL operations, which were supposedly part of government efforts to stamp out jueteng, an illegal numbers racket.
According to Suarez, he supports any move to strengthen the operation of STL to maximize its tax revenue potentials for the benefit of the poor.