POSITION STATEMENT OF THE IGLESIA FILIPINA INDEPENDIENTE-

DIOCESE OF LIBERTAD OPPOSING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE

GRAND IMPERIAL CASINO LOCATED IN
TABOC, OPOL, MISAMIS ORIENTAL
January 11, 2022

“The IFI shall stop at every place, home and situation, to enable those who
are in them see, recognize, know and believe in the Lord Jesus, and be
“overwhelmed with joy” in their worship and adoration of the Lord and in the
offering of their gifts and lives in the different ministries of the church in
pursuit of its mission, that in so doing the messianic work of the Lord Jesus is
carried out in our midst.”- (quote from the message of our Obispo Maximo, The
Most Rev. Rhee M. Timbang, in this season of Epiphany)

We, the Clergy of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in the Diocese of

Libertad, headed by our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Redeemer A. Yañez Jr., are
gathered on this day, January 11, 2022 in IFI-Opol Parish, to formulate all
matters pertaining to the whole life, faith, and work of the Church. It is
within this occasion that we were able to discuss issue on the controversial
establishment of this Grand Imperial Casino located in Taboc, Opol,
Misamis Oriental.

We, in the IFI, could not be silent on this issue since this casino could affect
the moral life of the people.

We, in the IFI, are commissioned to be stewards of God’s creation. It is

always our imperative to bring people to God and lead them to enjoy the
abundance of God’s blessings in a proper way. It is also our prime duties to
protect and to preserve human dignity. Therefore, we condemn any form of
dehumanization activities such as the violation of human rights:
prostitutions, crimes, illegal drugs, corruptions, etc.

We, in the IFI, strongly stands on the ground to oppose any gambling
activities exist in the society. We, in the IFI, does not encourage our
members to play in any “game of chance.” For us, a successful life happens
not by luck but by hard work.

We, in the IFI, manifested our faith in God through good works. Through
this faith that we proclaim our position to oppose to the highest level the
establishment of the Grand Imperial Casino located in Taboc, Opol, Misamis
Oriental. We further express our opposition due to these reasons: (1) The
Grand Imperial Casino is just located near our Churches and Schools and
(2) There was no public consultation having called which could give us the
opportunity to participate in the discussion before the establishment of the
said casino. Therefore, we believe that the establishment of the Grand
Imperial Casino is illegal.
We believe that we do not need this casino in uplifting the social and
economic life of our people. What we need is to make use of our available
resources properly and honestly to ensure the security of the dignity of our
fellow human beings.

We believe that this casino would disturb the peace and order of our society.
We are therefore calling our Local Government Unit in the Municipality of
Opol to take seriously on the negative impact that this casino could bring in
our midst. Gambling perse is an act of cheating. And cheating could bring
people commit crimes. Let us prioritize the safety of our constituents rather
than acquire more wealth but threatens the life of everybody.

We, in the IFI, express our intentions to be a pro-development community of

faith. We always ambition an abundant living for all of us. But let us always
consider our undertakings to be always beneficial to all the sectors in the
society. Let us help one another in building our community a better place to
live in.

In this season of Epiphany, we are committed to bring the light of Christ to

the people where everyone lives in accordance with the ways of God. We
continue to stand and live-out the ethos of the Church, Pro Deo et Patria.
God bless us all.

In Christ,

RT. REV. REDEEMER A. YAÑEZ JR.

Bishop of Libertad

0998 539 4137