MANILA — CIBAC Party-list Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva has expressed strong support for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) following the issuance of Memorandum Circular 2025-082, which prohibits local government officials and employees from accessing or engaging in online gambling.

Villanueva hailed the directive as a moral and ethical stand against a growing social menace.

“This is a welcome move by the DILG as it sends a strong message that public servants must uphold the highest standards of integrity and moral responsibility,” said Villanueva. “Gambling addiction, particularly through online platforms, not only destroys individual lives and families, but also erodes public trust and the integrity of those entrusted with governance.”

He stressed that government workers, especially those serving at the local level, should embody discipline and accountability—values that are compromised when public servants engage in gambling activities.

“Allowing them to participate in online gambling—an activity designed to exploit human weakness and often linked to corruption and financial ruin—undermines said principles of public service,” Villanueva added.

While commending the DILG’s initiative, Villanueva noted that the memorandum’s scope is limited to LGUs and DILG-attached agencies. He called for more comprehensive action to protect the broader public.

“As we have consistently advocated, what is needed is a total ban on online gambling, not mere regulation or heavy taxation. The social cost of gambling addiction far outweighs whatever revenue it generates for the State. This DILG measure is a crucial first step, and we hope it will pave the way for broader legislative action to ban online gambling altogether,” Villanueva explained.

Villanueva has filed House Bill No. 637, which seeks to outlaw online gambling nationwide. He reiterated his longstanding opposition to the normalization of gambling culture, grounding his advocacy in both social ethics and spiritual principles.

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow,” he quoted from Proverbs 13:11, urging both public servants and citizens to pursue honest and sustainable livelihoods.

📷 CIBAC