EDITORIAL - Discourage one addiction, promote another

From our sister publication BANAT News comes to us this report of a 20-year-old man who tried to set his house on fire last Sunday in Sitio Capaculan, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.

The reason? His mother wouldn’t give him gambling money. According to the report, the man came knocking on his mother’s door at 2 A.M. to ask for money to bet online. After she ignored him, he cut power to the house and then set fire to a tarp that was part of the house. Fortunately, the fire was put out quickly before it could spread throughout the house and the neighborhood.

The mother of the suspect, who was quickly apprehended after the incident, admitted that her son used drugs.

We have to assume that the man was addicted to gambling; who in his right mind would come knocking at such an ungodly hour to ask for bet money?

We also have to assume that the man was addicted to drugs; who in his right would resort to such an extreme response as set fire to a house if his demand is ignored?

Those two addictions are a deadly combination. But while drug use is being discouraged, gambling seems to be encouraged or even promoted, to look for a better word.

Ads for gambling can be found everywhere; they are on billboards all over the city, they are on the back of many modern jeepneys, not to mention on TV and our internet feeds. They appear so colorful, fun, and innocent with happy-looking celebrities or cartoon versions of them always smiling as if to assure everyone that they will always win. But of course, we know better.

And for those who cannot control their gambling habit, it becomes an addiction just as bad as frequent drug use.

And while sourcing drugs isn’t exactly easy, those who want to bet online only need a cellphone and internet connection. The suspect in the Tisa incident wasn’t even old enough to gamble online, as you have to be 21 to do this. How he was able to already start betting online is something worth looking into.

Should we demonize one kind of addiction while promoting another?