Filipino Movies Reflect Attitudes in Gambling
Movies, they say, are mirrors of one's society. If it is true, then Filipino movies on gambling tell about how the Filipino society looks at gambling.
Most movies in the Philippines which have a gambling element depict gambling as evil. Usually, the lead character would try to stop gambling in his town, or end up dead trying to do so.
This can be explained by the religion of the Filipinos, which is predominantly catholic. Some catholic groups are against gambling, and because many Filipinos are devout catholic, the gambling stigma is evident in Filipino movies.
In Filipino movies, gambling is often associated with organized crime, alcohol, drugs and other crimes. It is rare that you see the other side of gambling in Filipino movies.
What these movies fail to explain that it is only illegal gambling that is evil. They generalize and make it look like all forms of gambling bring no good to mankind.
However, we all know that gambling is more than what it seems. Gambling helps charity works, which also happens in the Philippines. Take for example Bingo, sweepstakes and lottery - they all help to fund charitable institutions and government offices.
There are Filipino movies which show people winning in lotto and leading a good life afterwards. But, in the end of the story, it is also shown that the winners will spend all the money and end up as poor or even poorer than before.
In real life, that is not always true. Some Filipino winners manage to put their gambling winnings to good use and investment. It seems that movies tend to blame the gambling world for the winners' mismanagement of their gambling winnings, when in fact, it is the fault of the person.
It can also be observed that there are very rare cases in which Filipino movies are shot inside the big casinos. You can tell from this that it eliminates information from the viewers, making them blinded from the truth - that gambling is entertaining, more than anything else.
It is about time that Filipino moviemakers try to reconsider their idea of gambling. They should realize that the movies they make have great impacts on the viewers. These movies bring something up or take it down, so the least they can do is to be careful. The focus on the dangers of gambling should be shifted to the benefits of gambling, which are rarely touched for a long time.