Baguio, Benguet police, officials mum on illegal gambling: Jueteng still on in northern Luzon

BAGUIO CITY– Jueteng operators have become bolder in this tourism resort city, nearby Benguet province and other parts of northern Luzon despite a directive of President Aquino to stop the illegal numbers game even as police and local officials have remained mum on the matter.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo earlier warned officers and men of the Philippine National Police they would be subjected to lifestyle checks if illegal gambling, particularly jueteng, will be discovered in their areas of jurisdiction.

But to date, jueteng operators have become bolder, sources said. In this city and Benguet, jueteng kubradors (collectors) reportedly do the rounds as early as 6 a.m. since draws are held three times a day.

Sources identified a draw area located along Ambuklao Road here where collectors usually use passenger jeeps to deliver bet money every time draws are held.

There was reportedly a lull in operations before the President’s State of the Nation Address but now, jueteng is back with a vengeance particularly in Baguio and Benguet where police and local officials are silent on the matter.

Bet collectors reportedly do the rounds in restaurants, sari-sari stores, bus terminals and sidewalks unmindful of police some of whom reportedly even place bets.

A disgruntled police source said jueteng won’t be stopped since some police and local officials are themselves on the take from jueteng lords.

Even with Robredo’s statement that the campaign of the national government against jueteng is an all-out war that will be waged in the lowest ranks of the police force, the source said this would be hard as some of their superiors are in cahoots with jueteng lords.

Baguio and Benguet are known strongholds of jueteng because several jueteng lords in Central and Northern Luzon are trying to outwit each other to gain control of gambling operations in the two juicy places.

In Regions 1, 2 and 3, jueteng operations are also reportedly rampant as elsewhere in the country so there was need for the President to sincerely implement the government drive against jueteng or corruption will flourish.

Robredo was due to meet with officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to discuss a more systematic way on how the controversial Small town Lottery (STL) will be able to be used to eventually stop illegal gambling like jueteng nationwide.

He earlier said if previous DILG officials were not able to sustain their campaign against jueteng, the Aquino administration should be given a fair chance of doing their own thing in stopping jueteng since their effort will be a relentless that will not succomb to political pressure since it is the order of President Aquino, the highest leader of the land who ordered it.

Considering that they will be hounded by stiff opposition from numerous local and police officials who are benefitting from jueteng operations, Robredo said political will is needed in order to what the top to bottom jueteng payola being given out by the jueteng lords to maintain their operations in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Based on insiders in the jueteng trade, the illegal gambling operations in a certain area is approved by the concerned local chief executive and the provincial, city and municipal chiefs of police.

This is reportedly part of the corruption circle considering that jueteng payola being given to them trickles down to the lowly policeman on the field but on a limited basis.