I have serious concerns about this bill, not only because I am against all forms of gambling per se, but because I do not see how building a greyhound racetrack can help the people of Rizal, Pampanga and Laguna, economically.  On the contrary, this can even rob these communities of their income from Tourism. 

The banner objective of the Department of Tourism is to sell the unique beauty of the Philippines, made even special by the hospitality that the Filipinos are known for. Tourists come to us because we have a beautiful country and we, as a people, have a God-given gift as gracious hosts. They do not come here because we have gambling houses and that soon, we will have greyhound racetracks.  With the growing worldwide opposition to gambling using dogs, the proposed racetrack may even discourage tourist from visiting Rizal, Pampanga and Laguna, provinces that are rich in history and proud of its natural wonders.

How then can the racetracks accelerate economic growth in the area? How can it enhance the tourism industry?  

I am against gambling per se. I guess this should exclude me in the healthy debate against gambling because I am biased from the beginning. But did you know that gambling is not just a social malaise.  Pathological gambling is a mental disease which is officially classified by the World Health Organization as illness?  Its symptoms are debts and lies. From these two symptoms, where to? Broken marriage, children stop going to school, dysfunctional family, domestic violence, infidelity? God only knows what other damages can ‘debts’ and ‘lies’ bring. 

I believe that the introduction of Greyhound racing as a form of gambling in our economically unstable society is extremely dangerous, if not the height of insensitivity.  While the poor of this country continue to get hungry and continue to cry over lost jobs, we will propose building a racetrack for dogs, purely for gambling, leisure and recreation?  

If we have even a little understanding of the mechanics of gambling, and if we are willing to accept the truth that the it is often the poor and the elderly, who are hit hardest by the ills of gambling, we will think twice, three times, before giving this proposal a second look. You might even want to thumb it down altogether. 

Communities all over the world are waking up to the downsides of gambling and are openly discussing its ill effects especially during these times of economic woes. 

Nobel-winner Paul Samuelson found few benefits from gambling, calling it "sterile transfers of money or goods between individuals, creating no new money or goods." He added: "Although it creates no output, gambling does nevertheless absorb time and resources. When pursued beyond the limits of recreation, where the main purpose after all is to kill time, gambling subtracts from the national income."  

Succinctly put, gambling will bring this nation to the dogs.