If I am not wrong Philippines is a democratic nation so they can't simply force a rule because it's considered as sin in a particular region but indirectly that's what the democracy is, what most people want will be chosen. To answer the question, the government should not intervene into something because majority don't want that while the leaders need their support so they will do things that can satisfy the belief system of most if not everyone, for them the number of votes matters more than what country is leading into.
Yes, the Philippines is a democratic country, and my people are free to speak about what they want. However, decisions can't be made too easily, and the opinion of any religious belief is granted. Investigation and legal rules are still needed before a conclusion is made about whether the government banned gambling or not. But I think the point here is that Catholic leaders just show help for the government to see the real sentiment of the people who fall into addiction. All they need is for the government to take action, not to ban gambling completely. Unless it was illegal.