A bubwit’s tips on eradicating jueteng

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – Despite the reported creation of a multi-agency “super body” to stop illegal gambling in this summer capital, jueteng is still up and about, our favourite bubwit says.

He says it is the same in nearby La Trinidad and other towns of Benguet where one still sees kubradors merrily going about their ways as in other parts of northern Luzon.

Lately, in Baguio and Benguet, kubradors have reportedly been told by their bosses to solicit bets discreetly to avoid unsavoury news reports or commentaries. According to our bubwit, this was unnecessary because bettors know where the kubradors are particularly in barangays.
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The kubradors reportedly just hang out in waiting sheds or sari-sari stores or jeepney terminal and the bettors come to them. According to our bubwit, if the police (or the task force for that matter) really want to stop jueteng, all they have to do is arrest at least 50 kubradors a day. They could easily be found in the barangays as they are known to almost everybody.

With the arrests, he says, jueteng lords or financiers would be hard up paying bail and “protection” money. The |”protectors,” he adds, are You-Know-Who and they exercise power over us lesser mortals. Of course, they also have their lapdogs in the media, he says with a wink, rattling off some names. “Easy to identify them,” he says, “they are those who keep silent on the issue.”

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It is also reportedly easy to identify where these jueteng operators hold their so-called bolahan like the hideout along Ambuklao Road in Pacdal where numbers are actually not raffled but chosen by revisadores. These specialists, he says, scrutinize all bet numbers and amounts and the lucky number is later “picked” or chosen.

Usually, the bet with a low wager is chosen. But most of the time, the number which was not betted upon is reportedly picked as the lucky number. Once in a while, somebody with a larger bet is chosen to win to maintain interest in the game.

“If authorities want to stop jueteng in their respective areas, it can be stopped, he says. “If the game doesn’t stop, you can bet, the main You-Know-Whos and the other lesser players don’t want it to stop.”

“Isurat mo dayta ijay column mo, baka adda masilyan. Ngem nu awan, napuskol unayen kudil dan, hehehe,” he says with a wink. “Sige, ta adda pay papanak – agkubra.”
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For starters, the “super body” created by Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan could take these unsolicited tips from our bubwit who claims he also knows some disgruntled policemen who could also actively help in the drive but fear being relieved from their posts if they do so.

Domogan recently signed Administrative Order No. 126 organizing the task force after receiving constant reports on proliferation of illegal gambling.
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The task force is empowered to advocate citywide eradication of illegal gambling, gather information, formulate plan of action and exercise general powers to make arrests, search and seizures in accordance with the Constitution and laws.

The task force will also investigate and arrest offenders and assist in their prosecution. It will also formulate recommendations to support local legislations relative to illegal gambling, recommend alternative economic programs for the community and discuss policies and recommendations raised at the technical and operations levels.

According to Domogan, illegal gambling is one of the concerns that degrade public morals, breeds corruption among government officials and is a major contributor in the deterioration of quality of life of people.

Section I (a) 1. Of Presidential Decree 602 defines illegal gambling as “any illegal or unauthorized activities of cockfighting, jueteng, jai alai or horse racing to include bookie operations and game fixing, numbers, bingo and other forms of lotteries; Caray Cruz, Pompiang and the like; 7-11 and any game using dice; black jack, lucky 9, poker and its derivatives, monte, baccarat Cuajao, Panggungue and other card games among others.”
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Task Force Jupiter shall be composed of the city mayor as chairman; DILG city director as action officer and members of the advocacy sector, operations team and interested members.

The advocacy sector will be composed of representatives from the private and religious sectors, offices of the city mayor, congressman, police, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and National Police Commission in the Cordillera.

The operations team will be composed of representatives from the Baguio police, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, National Bureau of Investigation, office of the city mayor, office of the congressman and Patrol 117. It would be interesting to attend one of their meetings where identifying the jueteng lords would be the issue.
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Our bubwit says he would like to see what the task force can do. If it is successful, he adds, it could be replicated in other parts of the country. If not, members can be tapped to join the Quirino Grandstand SWAT team in dealing with any hostage crisis.

In the process, Baguio may yet again gain limelight in the global community and increase its tourism potential. In any case, we could brag, “Amamuk met jay nagmaso ijay lugan ti bus.”