President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday underscored the need to stop the proliferation of gambling, particularly online betting, throughout the country.
This was stressed by the newly-sworn President during the first official Cabinet meeting held just few hours after his inauguration as the 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines in Malacanang.
Duterte suggested to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to revoke the licenses it issued to the different online gambling operators all over the country.
”I would suggest that online gambling must stop. It has opened a lot of avenues for many people. It’s out of control in the Pagcor,” Duterte suggested to Pagcor
Duterte said online gambling has sprouted almost everywhere, enticing many Filipinos to gamble instead of working to earn a living.
”Mahirap yan na puro sugal na lang nalalaman and there is no way the government collecting taxes there, the online,” Duterte said.
”I don’t want the proliferation of gambling throughout the country. That’s not good,” he added.
The new President also emphasized that the billions of pesos being earned by Pagcor should be geared towards the health services particularly for the poor Filipinos who cannot even afford to buy medicines.
”If that billions of pesos will be focused to health services, it would to further in providing relief to every Filipino,” Duterte said.
During the Cabinet meeting, Duterte reiterated his directive to the concerned government agencies to eliminate long queuing of the Filipino people applying for government permits and other transactions.
The President particularly mentioned the government offices that have many applicants taking so much time to get their documents done such as in the Bureau of Internal Revenue, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police and Land Transportation Office.
”I don’t want to see Filipino people queuing so much just to get government permits. I bent to protect the Filipino people,” he said.
President Duterte instructed his people to create a system wherein people need not really to endure the bureaucratic application for government papers.
He also warned the fixers in these government offices to end their illegal activities.
”If they want to follow, we will arrest them and give them lectures,” President Duterte warned.
In his inauguration speech, President Duterte vowed to improve the faith and trust of the Filipino people to the government by stamping out corruption, criminality and illegal drugs.
”Erosion of faith and trust in government—that is the real problem that confront us,” he said. (PNA)
