The last nail for the small town lottery (STL) coffin in Baguio is now in place.

This, after the city council committee on laws chaired by councilor Richard Cariño, in its committee report, recommended that the planned test runs of STL in the city be denied and rejected. 

The same committee, with councilors Perlita Chan-Rondez and Nicasio Aliping Jr. as members, also recommended that all other proposals during the incumbency of the present city council on STL shall no longer be entertained. 

The committee’s decision to deny and reject STL test runs in Baguio was reached after various sectors from Baguio and its environs expressed strong opposition not only to STL but all forms of illegal gambling during a public hearing last June 17. 

“The voice of the people of Baguio was in unison and overwhelming for the rejection of any test run or operation of STL in the city. Noteworthy is the absence of the STL proponents or of any argument in favor of their proposal,” reads the committee report obtained by this writer on Thursday afternoon. 

The committee also noted that the city council as early as Aug. 13, 2007 approved the committee on laws’ recommendation to reject and deny the proposals coming from different groups to conduct test runs or to operate STL in Baguio. 

The operation of STL is under the watch of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). 

But during the public hearing, no representative from PCSO or any proponent of STL stood to state the merits of   operating STL in Baguio. 

“The non-appearance of the proponents clearly indicates their lack of interest to further pursue their proposals,” the committee report further reads. 

The committee was disturbed when it came to know that the two addresses stated by two proponents of STL were labeled as “unknown” while the address of another STL proponent cannot be located. 

But action on STL is not yet dead in the water as the report of the committee on laws will still be presented to the city council for discussion and appropriate action.