By LITO RULONA and
NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents
THE local Roman Catholic archdiocese, and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines here registered their strong opposition to plans to open a casino at Limketkai center during a hearing called by the city council’s games and amusement committee yesterday afternoon.
The senior pastor of the UCCP here, The Rev. Ricardo Yañez Jr., even warned that members of his group were willing to take to the streets just to openly oppose the plan of Limketkai and Sons Inc..
The Jesuitun Xavier University and Religious of the Virgin Maryun Lourdes College also registered their opposition to the plan.
Fr. Florencio Salvador, who represented Roman Catholic Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, said an emergency meeting was called in the archdiocese when the Limketkai group’s plan was made public.
Before reading a prepared statement by Ledesma, Fr. Salvador told the committee: “It should be clear that we are not fighting with the Limketkais. We are very good friends.”
But Salvador said many people from different churches were disturbed, and were strongly opposed to the proposed casino.
Aside from concerns on how it would affect the moral fiber of the city, Salvador pointed out that the proposal is to build a casino right at the heart of the city and just in front of the stateun University of Science and Technology of the Southern Philippines.
He said the proposal was morally unacceptable as far as the archdiocese is concerned, and church leaders would not turn a blind eye to the gambling culture especially since this could affect the poor.
Salvador said the position of the archdiocese is that casinos are undesirable as these “erode the moral values” of citizens.
Part of Ledesma’s statement which Salvador read: “Our Catholic faith teaches us that game of chance involving card games and others are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when we deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risk becoming an enslavement. We find this in the official Catholic church catechism.”
UCCP senior pastor Yañez said his church would start a massive information campaign on the effects of casinos here.
The UCCP’s position on the Limketkai proposal is similar to the Roman Catholic archdiocese’s.
The Limketkai group’s lawyer, Armando Kho, told the committee that the proposed casino is part of the firm’s expansion plans.
He said the casino, if allowed, would “enhance the image of the city” as a tourist destination.
The Limketkai group, according to Kho, wants to attract visitors from other places of the country and tourists from other countries especially in Southeast Asia.
Kho said the Philippines is now being promoted abroad as an alternative to Macau and developing nations with casino complexes.
Councilor Zaldy Ocon, the committee’s chairman, said there would be more hearings in the coming weeks. He said he also wanted to hear the positions of Diocesan Bishop Felixberto Calang of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Iglesia ni Cristo Minister Russel Sanchez and Bishop Bong Udang of the Blessed Hope Fellowship.
Of the seven heads of academic institutions invited, only Xavier University and Lourdes College sent representatives.
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