Bishop backs gambling ban during wakes

By Charlie Lagasca

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya– A senior member of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines expressed support for calls to prohibit gambling activities during wakes among the faithful, saying such practice promotes a culture of gambling in the country and is also a glaring show of disrespect for the dead.

“We support moves for banning gambling during wakes. This is one way of discoura¬ging our faithful from engaging in games of chance instead of being hardworking, diligent and honest,” said Bayombong Bishop Ramon Villena.

“Besides, gambling during wakes is an act of irreverence toward the dead. It connotes that people attending wakes are not really out to sympathize with bereaved families but only to gamble. Wakes should be solemn,” Villena said.

A anti-jueteng critic, Villena, whose diocese covers the civil provinces of Quirino and this province, said that gambling is also the usual cause of misunderstandings or quarrels among gamblers in  wakes, and may even lead to tragic incidents.

The outspoken cleric said that he did not consider so-called “fund  raising” as reason for holding gambling activities during wakes.

“I know that bereaved families usually approve gambling activities during wakes to raise additional funds for the funeral and other needs. But this is not justified. We should instead rekindle the spirit of  helping each other in time of bereavement and crisis,” he added.

Villena’s statement came after a Catholic parish in neighboring Bontoc-Lagawe vicariate issued a pastoral policy enjoining its faithful  not to allow gambling during wakes for their dead.

The Lagawe parish even threatened not to officiate last rites or final sacraments to dead persons whose families allow gambling during their wakes.

Father Valentine Dimoc, director of the Social Action Center of the parish of Lagawe, Ifugao’s capital town, said that such policy is part of their parish contributions to the whole Church’s efforts against any form of gambling in the country.

However, Church officials said that family members could defy the pastoral policy and go on with the usual practice of gambling during wakes of their departed loved ones at the risk of not getting  Church-officiated last sacraments.

Villena said that he is now mulling to propose before the CBCP the possible adoption of a pastoral policy to ban gambling during wakes.

Villena, however, said that he would not go to the extreme of withholding final rites to dead faithful, whose families allowed gambling during their wakes.

“I don’t think it is right to deprive any faithful Catholic of the last sacraments just because their family allowed gambling during his or her wake. Discouraging it is enough. Education is the key here since the Church policy is against gambling,” he said.