Jueteng operators using lotto as ‘cover’ in Ilocos

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has confirmed that operators of jueteng are using the legal lotto as cover for their illegal operations.

Enior Supt. Federico Castro Jr., regional director of the CIDG and head of the anti-gambling task force in the Ilocos bared this following the arrest of 27 jueteng collectors in various parts of Pangasinan last week.

Castro said the arrested collectors were in possession of cards for the EZ-2 game, a part of the legal lotto although they are actually collecting jueteng bets. There is no Small Town Lottery (STL) yet in any part of Pangasinan.

The anti-gambling task force of the CIDG is now in Pangasinan to check the reported resurgence of jueteng, targeting areas pinpointed by the Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Sugal, headed by Archbishop Oscar Cruz of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese, the country’s No. 1 anti-jueteng crusader.

The task force launched simultaneous anti-gambling operations in La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, where jueteng was also reported to have become resurgent. So far, all those arrested by members of the task force were jueteng collectors from San Jacinto, Urbiztondo, Urdaneta City and Laoac.

Castro said the police in these areas helped the CIDG anti-gambling task force in the anti-jueteng operations. The task force will have its hands full in Pangasinan as jueteng has resurged in practically all towns of the province, except Dagupan City.

There were unconfirmed reports received by Archbishop Cruz that the resurgence of jueteng may have something to do with the fast approaching elections next year. It appears that the suspects so far arrested by the anti-gambling task force were in possession of EZ-2 lotto cards and a thin wad of paper called "papelitos" where the number bets were written, including the corresponding price of from R5, R10 and up, like in jueteng.

Castro said all the suspects were charged with violation of Republic Act 1602 as amended. In this case, the judge usually recommends R2,000 bail for each of the accused for their provisional liberty.