City execs push probe on jueteng, gambling

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The city council last Monday called anew for an investigation of the reported resurgence of Bingo sa Barangay, bingo-teng, jueteng and other illegal games in the city.

The body which approved a proposed resolution of Councilor Galo Weygan asked the public order and safety division of the mayor’s office under engineer Greg Deligero and the city police under acting city police chief Nestor Bergonia to lead the probe.

“Gambling may bring money to the operators, but it causes financial distress to the gamblers or bettors especially they belong to lower level of income who are housewives, wage earners including the middle level income of society,” Weygan noted in his resolution he filed in response to reports on the proliferation of gambling activities in the barangays.

“If the gambling operators are barangay officials, they are causing or promoting poverty among their constituents,” he said.

“This Bingo sa Barangay and Bingo-teng has caused widespread doubts on the uprightness of barangay officials on whether they are protecting their constituents from the effect of anti-social and anti-peace and anti-health activities to the people.”

In approving the measure, the body called for the consideration of a court order which sanctioned the conduct of Bingo sa Barangay in the past.

Early this year, the city council approved a resolution “condemning in the strongest terms the resurgence of an illegal operation of Bingo sa Barangay in the city.”

“Since there is no official endorsement from the ABC or the barangays, much less approval for the use of the nomenclature ‘Bingo sa Barangay’ from the corporation that owns the patent, the legality of this resurgent bingo sa barangay is put into question,” Councilor Joel Alangsab then said.

Alangsab then explained that the Bingo sa Barangay was originally planned as a fund-raising activity for the barangays. As such, it was endorsed by the ABC through Resolution No. 10 series of 2008.

The said resolution was later recalled when majority of the ABC board of directors approved a resolution withdrawing support for the activity prompting Alangsab to stop the activity.