TO THE FAITHFUL OF THE DIOCESE OF LAOAG: We, the clergy of the of the Diocese of Laoag, true to our sworn mission to serve as pastors to the faithful of the Diocese, seek to bring to light the alarming implementation of STL (small town lottery) with which comes the equally disturbing resurgence of jueteng. In the light of our faith and morals, through this Joint Pastoral Statement, we strongly condemn STL and jueteng operations in our Diocese. (Acts and Decrees # 49, Diocese of Laoag Pastoral Assembly–I) Commissioned to be witnessing evangelizers, we are challenged to act on our innate capacity to conquer these evils that perpetrate injustice on our human dignity. As a community of Christ’s disciples, let us all stand firm against STL and jueteng, that we may all live the “life of Christ – life in all its fullness!” (John 10:10) STL: HEIGHT OF PUBLIC DECEPTION, DISTRUST AND BETRAYAL As we were contemplating on amending our old and evil ways during the Lenten Season, the government was busy contemplating on amending the name and the mechanics of an old and tempting evil. And as we were joyfully celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the government shamelessly took the front pages gladly announcing the resurgence of a social evil that we all thought has died forever. Our dearest faithful of the Diocese, again, we have been deceived and even betrayed! Not too long ago, principally because of jeuteng, our moral life as a people was rocked on its foundation. And just as we are about to convince ourselves that we are capable of rising above this moral decay, our national and local leaders are telling us the contrary - that we can no longer survive without embracing its evils. Since there had never been a valid or acceptable argument for jueteng, its name had been changed. Now cloaked with bureaucratic mandate, this archaic social evil is now called STL (small town lottery), as the government is conditioning us to call it. Worse, we are being conditioned to its being legal but not to its being immoral. Also, not too long ago, our local government executives and the chiefs of our local PNP stations furnished us documents certifying that jueteng operations in our province had been stopped due to aggressive campaign against its proliferation. This had given us the hopeful impression that if our local government deliberately wishes it, it could actively and sincerely work for true social change both within its ranks and among our people. Yet, today, we are in a worst-case scenario. Jueteng is also literally back! Now it operates and is protected under the mantle of the STL. STL: THE FILIPINO FACE OF HOPELESSNESS AND MORAL DECADENCE STL, the new nomenclature for jueteng is being justified through the usual government’s arguments ranging from generating jobs for our million of jobless countrymen, to contributing to the stability of our ailing economy. These lines of argument are fictions - pure and simple! As the STL scheme conquers our streets and homes, the jueteng operation cleverly creeps underneath. With the legal muscle of STL, the old jueteng polyetos are being intrepidly waved everywhere and much to all our dismay, nobody dares to stop it even if this is happening within the reach and sight of our respectable local officials and men-in-uniform. Indeed, our hope for a national renewal, with the end of jueteng, is now deemed baseless. The assurance of decency in government is no more than a deceptive propaganda. The jueteng operation, or the STL operation, or both covering-up for each other – is gambling and “gambling is and will always be morally evil”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2413). For this reason and with the alarming turn of events, the members of our clergy have all the reasons to unanimously doubt any certification of similar nature to that mentioned above in the future. STL: DEFYING OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH AND ETHICS STL, or jueteng, or both – the clergy of the Diocese of Laoag firmly stands to condemn it! On the one hand, we condemn the carefree enthusiasm of the government in promoting the STL, a hedonistic and socially destructive scheme that reduces us all to a pathetic race of gamblers! On the other hand, we condemn the utter disregard, indifference and silence of our local authorities in allowing the vicious ploy of shrouding the illegality of jueteng within the legality of STL. We say it again, and we stand by this judgment and pronouncement: STL, or jueteng, or the clever combination of both – is totally against the dictates of our faith and morals; it is in total contradiction to the human dignity and integrity that our Divine Creator had intended for us to uphold and sustain. Our brothers and sisters, with STL, we are now being taught to find decency in something essentially indecent. We are compelled to live in a society that neglects the ethics of the means for the end. We are taught to promote a culture that relies purely on chance rather than hard work, on deceit rather than honesty. With STL, we are made to accept that gambling is a solution to the miserable plight of millions of Filipinos today. In our faith, we must bear in mind that gambling, in all its forms, simple or complex, legal or illegal, destroys the very core of man’s dignity. Gambling never promotes human development, as it debases man’s noble possibilities. It never promotes what is morally good, as it promotes corruption in all its basic and most spiteful structure. The Tenth Commandment is very clear on this: “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s goods.” (Exodus: 20:17) AN URGENT CALL FOR CHRISTIAN ACTION We are then calling on every faithful of the Diocese to stand firm against STL or jueteng. We must all contribute to our integral development not only by doing good and avoiding evil, but more so, by fighting evil. Once and for all, we need the strong confluence of our faith, reason and communal action that we may be able to sustain the message of hope for moral recovery in this times of moral depravity and social despondency. (Vatican II: Populorum Progressio) The malevolent maneuverings of STL and jueteng operations must set before us a golden opportunity to witness to the truth of our faith. In whatever station of life we find ourselves, it is our Christian duty to act against the prevailing spirit of indifference and the acceptance of the evil dictates of worldly affairs. AN OCCASION FOR PROMOTING THE INTEGRITY OF PUBLIC SERVICE We enjoin our honorable local political leaders to help stop STL and jueteng operations in the Diocese, that our people will not succumb into its pit of deceit, hopelessness and moral decadence. We reiterate, that when you furnished us those documents certifying that jueteng operations in our province had been stopped due to your aggressive campaign, we thought that it was because you wished it that you were able to stop it. It was a tangible proof of your Christian capacity to uphold what is right and turn against the various inducements of what is wrong. Moreover, your various achievements in your individual public offices are proof enough of the strength of your moral character. As you have shown on various occasions in many trying times, you are not bereft of the lofty virtues of professionalism. Now, it is this similar quality of professionalism, with morals fully integrated in your offices of public trust, that is being asked of you, as you help to completely eradicate this moral predicament that is besetting the integrity of all our human institutions. ( Vatican II: Apostolicam Actuositatem Chapter III: 13) We still believe that being Christians armored with moral-political will, instead of allowing this evil that victimizes the poor, you can transcend the ordinariness and sustain the dignity of public service into a creative venue for witnessing to your faith by adhering to your sworn duty of creating and promoting decent programs for our people. (Plenary Council of the Philippines II) A TIME FOR UPHOLDING OUR CHRISTIAN FAMILY VALUES We enjoin our parents, guardians, teachers and church leaders to diligent help educate our children, by words and example, that the typical Ilocano trait of industriousness characterized by the values of hardwork, honesty, resourcefulness and resilience to work will flourish on our land. Let us spend the little money we earned through hard and honest work for our basic needs and for the education of our children, and not on gambling! We dignify our work by spending the fruits of our labor as expression of our love for our family, and through this, our work dignifies us. Let every family and every place of learning then promote moral education, particularly the dignity of work and the dignity of the worker in the context of the Christian family, as the nucleus for human enlightenment and development. (Vatican II: Apostolicam Actuositatem III: 9-11; IV:28 ) As parents and models to your children, if ever the thought of betting and eventually winning tempts your moral capacity right at the doorstep of your conscience, remember the thousands of your fellowmen who would lose and whose money you would maliciously covet in unethical connivance with the corrupt few. Think of the many children whose future are neglected the moment their parents succumb to the false hope that STL or jueteng, or both, would bring in instant prosperity. Think of your own children whom you feed with proceeds from something definitely immoral and the wrong values that this exacts upon their young minds. A PERIOD FOR STRENGTHENING OUR BASIC ECCLESIAL COMMUNITIES Through our NASA (Nacristianoan a Sangca-carrubaan), let us encourage each other to stop betting on STL or jueteng! Let us continue to remind each one that by betting, we are directly sponsoring corruption; by betting, we are directly embracing evil! Let us strengthen our Basic Ecclesial Communities as we sincerely and faithfully safeguard our families from the evils of jueteng and this small town lottery. (DLPA I: Acts & Decrees # 49.2, # 58.6) As the evil of gambling is boldly unleashed without respect for our sense of decency, let us remain steadfast in our faith as we all sincerely act for genuine social reforms. By saying no to STL or jueteng, we conquer the greed and dark intents of the antagonists of morals and decency. By condemning STL or jueteng, we rise against the enemy of faith and reason. Armed with steadfast faith in God and abiding charity towards humanity, let us bear in mind that “the joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor and in any way afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (Vatican II: Gaudium et Spes, 1) Indeed, we must all “work vigorously in order that we may become capable of rectifying the distortion of the temporal order and directing it to God through Christ.” (Vatican II: Apostolicam Actuositatem III: 7) Inspired by the gospel values of justice, peace and love, let us pray unceasingly, through the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the “Queen of Apostles and the perfect example of the Christian spiritual and apostolic life” (Vatican II: Apostolicam Actuositatem I:4), that this nation of ours will finally seek and find the light of salvation through the establishment of a just and humane society for all. “May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the spirit of grace; and may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all men.” (St. Arnold Janssen)
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