Casino Establishment Proposed for Boracay
In our April 13-19th issue, we published an article by Attorney Kel Tolentino in which he voiced his opposition to setting up a gambling casino on Boracay Island. I would firstly like to applaud him for taking this stand, and for having the courage to speak out on behalf of so many Aklanons who are also concerned by this proposal, which, if implemented, would change the nature of Boracay forever.
Aklanons have already made their feelings clear upon the previous occasions when this same proposal was put forward. The Christian church has also expressed its opposition as did our previous president, and as have a growing number of Filipinos currently living abroad. So why is it that this proposal has once more been put forward?
Could it be that those seeking to establish a casino on Boracay have no regard for the people of Aklan? Could it be that they consider us all to be idiots, and as such to be a mere inconvenience which currently stands in the way of bringing their plans to fruition? Could it be that they are so motivated by the possibility of financial gain that the social and moral impact of such a proposal on the people of Aklan are of no concern to them? Could it be that they are deaf? Or are they just plain stupid?
Let us consider for a moment the social implications of establishing such a casino on Boracay Island. It is a known fact that such casinos generate vast amounts of wealth, but for whom? It will not be the inhabitants of Boracay who will gain, but rather the owners and operators of the establishment. Where will this wealth come from? Why from the people of Aklan of course.
There are some amongst us who might consider gambling to be a form of entertainment, but in actuality such a casino would simply provide a means with which to deprive our people of their hard earned money, and to leave families broken and destitute. Along with many others I consider gambling to be inherently evil, and about as entertaining as rape.
A casino would also give rise to other social evils, corruption being high on the list. Was it not the Mafia who created Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world? Was it not the proceeds of their casinos that enabled the Mafia to infiltrate the US government together with various law enforcement agencies throughout America? Was it not this very enterprise which created a stepping stone to controlling the supply of illegal drugs and the illicit supply of firearms?
Should a gambling casino be established on Boracay, then how many town officials, politicians, and police officers might subsequently be tempted to accept a bribe in order to help this sordid and abhorrent initiative to flourish? So vast are the amounts of money involved that it might prove hard for some to turn down such an inducement.
Do we really want this tourist haven to be turned into some kind of Mafia state with its own security agents, enforcers, and militia? We already have one Boracay resident who has resorted to employing her own militia as a deterrent to those unfortunate foreigners who have fallen victim to a widespread property scam which is currently ongoing on Boracay Island, and which the relevant authorities have as yet failed to bring under control.
The establishment of a casino on Boracay would also bring with it crime, and would make the island increasingly more expensive to police. Not only would such a casino attract undesirable elements but it would also involve villains and thugs being brought in to deal with those unable to pay their debts and to silence those who speak out in opposition.
Prostitution and drug dealing would no doubt proliferate in order to target the ‘big spenders’ and ‘playboys’ who can find no meaningful purpose in life, turning this idyllic island into a virtual Sodom and Gomorrah.
Make no mistake, gambling is evil, and had Moses not run out of tablets he would no doubt have made some reference to gambling in the form of an eleventh commandment. For gambling is little more than a cancer which has the potential to permeate our whole society and bring misery and abandonment to otherwise decent and honest people.
The overwhelming feeling of Aklanans is that this proposal should be thrown out, and that no attempt should be made to introduce it again. The majority of us are after all Christian, and as such the proposal to establish a casino is contrary both to our faith and to our own moral values. We have no desire to see our island turned into a den if iniquity, or for the shadow of evil to descend upon it./TE
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