Lessons from casino tragedy

As they say: When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

Some lessons here from the recent Resorts World Manila (RW) tragedy:

1. Let our actions—be it private or government—be guided by our planning documents: AmBisyon Natin 2040 (our national long-term vision), and Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 (our national medium-term plan).

AmBisyon Natin 2040 tapped 300 participants for focused group discussions, and another 10,000 as survey respondents; this, to determine the collective long-term vision and aspirations of the Filipino people.

The result: In 2040, Filipinos are matatag—Filipino families live together; Filipinos are maginhawa—no Filipino is poor or is ever hungry; Filipinos are panatag—Filipinos feel secure over their entire lifetime, expecting to live long, enjoying a comfortable life upon retirement. There are resources to cover unexpected expenses, and there are savings.

On the other hand, Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 aspires that growth be more inclusive, that the GDP be at 7-8 percent and overall poverty rate shall have declined from 21.6 percent to 14 percent, and poverty incidence in rural areas (30 percent in 2015) to 20 percent by 2022.

Having lain the predicate of having a goal of intact families, feeling of security and real inclusive growth, our government should not encourage the setting-up of casinos. We should learn from the wisdom of Japan and China, both of whom outlawed casinos. Yes, casinos bring in revenues; but their social cost is greater. Families fall apart; families can instantly turn from riches to rags.

The RW tragedy shows an angle that the gunman might have snapped due to casino losses.

What we should encourage is inclusive growth. Gina Lopez, during her confirmation hearing, stated that a venture capitalist firm had signified intent to fund research and production of nutraceuticals or medicines sourced from our plants.

Next time somebody knocks for a casino-license, our government should show them other opportunities in our country.

2. RW’s CCTV footage showed that a lady guard, supposedly the first line of defense, made a runabout upon seeing the gunman. We should harness dogs to combat terrorism. A dog’s sense of smell is impeccable. We should start using dogs in all appropriate places, even in determining where bomb-making activities are by letting them roam our streets.

3. So many died not because of gunshots but because of suffocation. We should institutionalize the use of passive cooling in building designs. For this, we need a law mandating the creation of openable windows even for air-conditioned structures. Dividers should also have windows. This also helps in lowering greenhouse gases, as air-con use equates to more energy use. A good example of buildings using passive cooling are: Z Square Mall along Banawe Street corner Del Monte Avenue in Quezon City; and the old buildings in UP Diliman.

4. Terrorists operate where they can inflict the most number of casualties (e.g., Boston Marathon, Manchester concert). It’s time we Filipinos learned to enjoy noncommercial places, like mom-and-pop eateries, over commercial ones.

Artsy eateries are sprouting in otherwise residential areas of Marikina, Quezon City, and other cities outside Metro Manila. Patronizing them touches as well on our goal of inclusive growth. In Europe, governments protect the local economy by restricting the entry of big players like McDonalds and Starbucks, just so their mom-and-pop stores can flourish. I hope we, too, can: Think global, and act local.

CHESTER C. CHANG,

ches_chang@yahoo.com