Brothers and sisters, probably due to the public’s outcry, President Duterte repealed the suspension of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s lotto operations. We may remember that even without a clear and detailed explanation, the President discontinued all games administered by PCSO because of what he described as widespread corruption in the agency. Within 24 hours, the PNP closed down all lotto outlets in the country, accompanied by photo-ops left and right.
Although we do not consent to the culture of gambling and the propagation of games such as the lottery, it is important to know the reason why President Duterte suspended the PCSO’s operations. If corruption in PCSO is that severe, will the President’s act of stopping its operations serve as a solution? If the suspension continued, it is said that hundreds of thousands of people nationwide will lose their jobs. The financial help given by PCSO to the less fortunate who need medical help will also be affected. Many people were relieved when President Duterte repealed the suspension of the lottery.
While the public’s reaction to the suspension of the lotto games was so strong that the President has to reverse his command, our reaction to President Duterte’s veto on the Security of Tenure Bill, the proposed law that aims to end contractualization or “Endo” in the country was hardly noticed. Within days before the suspension of lotto, news of the President not signing the proposed security of tenure measure was carried by the tri-media. According to the President’s spokesman, further study is needed regarding the effects of the proposed bill. This disappointed the workers’ groups who believe in the President’s campaign promise to stop all forms of labor-only contractualization.
If the administration’s true priority is the welfare of workers, especially those who are losing jobs after a few months, the administration and its allies in Congress should pass a law ending the unrighteous “Endo.” But our President has been in office for three years, and “Endo” still continues.
Aside from this, it seems that the public took deep sorrow in not being able to bet on the lottery instead of the government’s relaxed attention to the issues of unfairness of businessmen who belittle workers. What does this say about us being citizens?
One of the primary principles of the Catholic social teaching is what we call solidarity. This refers to having people with love and care for each other, having concern in the situation of their fellow people, and having a desire to take action for the common good. This principle is revealed in the book of John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
We are not asked to literally sacrifice our lives for others for the sake of bringing the principle of solidarity to life. In small ways, like our discussions regarding the issues in society and our nation, may we choose the things that truly cause greater effect not only in ourselves but for other people, especially those who are marginalized—including our fellowmen relying on jobs without security.
Brothers and sisters, now that many of us can bet on the lottery again, let us try to understand the issue of “Endo” because even more lives will benefit from continuous work and complete benefits.
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