Can there be a Solomonic solution?

A friend of mine, whose name I have no authority to divulge here, sent me this message: “Morning sir. Unsay imo ikasulti aning pagpasira sa tanang PCSO outlets? I want to hear you, sir, para makasabot ko.” Believe me, this person held a responsible position in a United Nations agency.

If only on the basis that my texter who possesses a good understanding of government got perplexed by the presidential fiat, I found it not entirely difficult to conclude that what the President order might have so startled many of us that he literally threw us into either a state of disbelief or quandary or both. And, to answer my texter, here is my take of the issue:

Let me start with an admission that in my view of multifarious issues, my approach is always simple. My life is not made complicated by any form of gambling. No mahjong block fascinates me. The intricacies of this card game people call as “tong its” discourage me.

I am not entertained by sabong. Certainly, no casino game like black Jack or baccarat attracts me. In that simplistic context, I can only applaud President Duterte for his order to close all peddlers of gaming schemes. I’ll shout it in exciting cadence “Bravo! Good decision, Mr. President. Congratulations!”

The presidential announcement is anchored upon an unquestionably moral foundation. This time, the President, in one righteous stroke, puts an end the problem that his predecessors did not share the same courage to fight. The good wins over the bad. There could be no better pronouncement than for Malacañang to cleanse our nation of any indicia of gambling.

 The last three working days showed another aspect of the issue. Aside from the moral angle of the presidential directive, there is a huge social side to consider. As it now appears, the supposed victory of the good over the bad affects the ability of the government to support the financial needs of the less privileged. Shown on the news programs of national television are faces of thousands of individuals lining up the public assistance counters of the PCSO.

Their sad stories are identical. A widow from a Central Luzon province appeared at the Manila PCSO office to ask if the monthly monetary help of P20,000 given by the office for the dialysis treatment of her diabetic sister would be continued. The same nature of query was brought to the attention of PCSO by a cancer-stricken man for his chemotherapy.

If we multiply the number of the needy who receive cash assistance from the PCSO, we break our hearts to realize the gravity of the situation. The proceeds coming from the regulation of gambling are funneled to those who have less in life. If this financial faucet dries up, the burdensome monetary problems of hundreds of thousands of our countrymen will be magnified.

It is, thus, important that the massive corruption allegedly predicating the drastic move of the President be addressed quickly. Everybody seems to hope that government must find a way to sustain the flow of adequate fund to help those in need. Will it still be the PCSO? Let the President match his startling announcement with whatever Solomonic solution he can come up with.

(Editor’s Note: When this piece was written, President Duterte had not yet ordered the resumption of Lotto operations.)