Pangasinan PNP forms task force: Still no letup of jueteng draws in north Luzon

BAGUIO CITY – Religious and cause oriented groups said there is still no sign of letup of jueteng in northern Luzon and the reason for its proliferation is that local officials and police authorities are “on the take or giving protection” to illegal gambling operators.

In the Cordillera, identified places where jueteng abounds include Kalinga, Benguet (the towns of La Trinidad, Tublay, Itogon, Tuba, Buguias and Mankayan) including Baguio.

In Baguio, Mayor Mauricio Domogan recently said he would ask for the relief of city police chief Senior Supt. David Lacdan if jueteng wouldn’t stop.

But according to residents, the illegal numbers game is still up and about in the city.

Almost all provinces of Region1 (Ilocos) and 2 (Cagayan Valley) are now reportedly also areas where operators are still amassing huge profits

In Pangasinan, following outcry over proliferation of jueteng, police announced Tuesday the creation of the Provincial Anti-Illegal Gambling Special Operations Task Force.

Senior Supt. Rosueto V. Ricarforte, police provincial office director, said the PAIGSOTF will be responsible for stopping the operation of all forms of illegal gambling, particularly “jueteng,” a popular numbers game.

Riarforte said there will be three teams under the task force, each with a team leader and seven members, and assigned to two congressional districts each.

This, as the provincial board is set to quiz the police director of Pangasinan on the operations of jai-alai in the province, as 34 of 48 mayors have issued permits for the game.

Sixth district board member Alfonso Bince Jr. said he is pursuing his earlier resolution opposing jai-alai operations in Pangasinan and its component cities.

The resolution was referred to the board’s committee on public order and safety to conduct public hearings on the jai-alai operations.

But Bince said no hearings were held since the resolution was filed two months ago.

When told about Bince’s plan to invite him to the provincial board’s session next week, Senior Supt. Rosueto Ricaforte, provincial police director, said, “I am not the person who should be invited there but we could provide the board the list of mayors who provided permits to operate jai-alai in their towns or cities.”

He said they, too, were surprised when they learned about jai-alai operations in the province, as the operators were found to have documents showing their activities were legal.

“We could not stop them because we are ordered by the court to refrain from stopping their operations,” Ricaforte said.

“The mayors issued permit to operate (for jai-alai) in their (respective areas),” he added.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. earlier said the provincial government had nothing to do with the jai-alai operations, as the mayors were the ones who issued the permits.

Bince, however, said the provincial board has supervision over local government units “and we are supposed to protect the morality of our people in the province.”

“Therefore they cannot say that this is purely a concern of the mayors and issuing a business/mayor’s permit would be sufficient,” he said.

As far as he knows, Bince said the jai-alai operations of Meridien Vista Gaming Corp. are confined to the Cagayan export zone only.

Bince declined to comment on reports that some influential people supposedly wanted him to go slow on his resolution against jai-alai.

Jai-alai, some sectors alleged, is being used as front for jueteng, which Ricaforte denied.