Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes has expressed opposition to the resurgence of small-town lottery operations in Negros Oriental, citing concerns about its “harmful effects” and potential “erosion” of moral values.
“We humbly appeal to our provincial and local officials to rethink [the] approval of STL applications in the province,” Cortes said in a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Facebook post on Thursday, Oct. 12.
“STL and similar games encourage especially the poor to rely on luck and chance instead of choosing hard work and industry,” he added.
STL is a government program that was designed to combat “jueteng,” an illegal numbers game.
“We, therefore, plead to our government leaders to be very cautious and discerning in the approval of STL applications in the province,” Cortes said.
“Let us therefore strive, with the guidance of the Lord, to choose life over destruction, grace over sin, and virtue over vice,” he added. (Erika Mariel Custodio Escover)