LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Archbishop Oscar Cruz dared here President Aquino to totally stop jueteng in the country which he said, is now rampant in Region 1.
“It only takes one word from the President and it would stop,” Cruz said. “I wonder why he doesn’t say and do so.”
Cruz, who chairs the Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng (People’s Crusade Against Jueteng) said in his home base here it is not true that lotto is easing out jueteng as the most popular numbers game in the country after an Olongapo lotto bettor won P741 million with a lucky pick.
According to Cruz, winning in lotto is very hard compared to jueteng which has only 1 to 37 combinations.
There are frequent draws in jueteng – three times a day – compared to lotto’s three draws per week. He added it is also cheaper to bet on jueteng.
Cruz said he is upset that the current administration, which prides itself in putting a stop to corrupt practices, does not bother to stop jueteng nationwide.
In Baguio for the past weeks, jueteng operators resurrected the illegal numbers game by holding draws near Malcolm Square at the central business district at the foot of Session Road.
The operators claimed it was bingo, but members of Task Force Jupiter raided the area Tuesday and found no bingo materials.
Task force members instead found jueteng paraphernalia. Police said, if the games were indeed bingo, then there should have been a lot of people at the draw venue.
The group, which was formed by Mayor Mauricio Domogan to sop illegal gambling in the city, arrested three jueteng revisadores who said they were from Batangas.
Sources said jueteng collectors known as kubradores got bets from nearby barangays.
They said, jueteng activities were being done to raise funds for the coming Association of Barangay Captains elections which ABC president and city councilor Joel Alangsab denied.
This as jueteng operations are still rampant in the Benguet towns of Buguias and Mankayan, other sources said.
To date no police chief has yet been relieved in these areas under the “one strike policy” of the Philippine National Police.
The policy mandates any police chief found remiss in his duties for jueteng operations under his turf would be relieved.
Regional police authorities based in Camp Dangwa, Benguet still remained silent on rampant jueteng operations in the two towns or whether police chiefs in those areas would be relieved.
At the Ilocos Region police headquarters in Camp Florendo, San Fernando City, La Union, Supt. Orlando Mabutas, regional police director, told newsmen he was still confirming if indeed jueteng has returned in the region particularly Pangasinan.
It has been three weeks already since he first said he was still confirming whether jueteng is back in Pangasinan or other parts of region 1.
He said if confirmed, police chiefs in areas where jueteng operates would be relieved in accordance with the one-strike policy.
In Pangasinan, sources said jueteng has returned in all six districts.
It is now business as usual for kubradors after a certain Orduna allegedly gave the go-signal for jueteng operators in the six districts to resume operations.
A certain “Boy Bata” allegedly operates jueteng in Binmaley, Lingayen, Bugallon and San Fabian towns and Dagupan City.
A certain Mallorca reportedly operates in Bayambang, Malasiqui, Mangaldan, Manaoag and Mapandan towns.
Another jueteng operator identified as a certain Co reportedly operates in the fifth district.
In the sixth district, a certain Marlon is reportedly the jueteng boss.
In Aguilar, Mangatarem, Urbiztondo and Basista towns, jueteng is reportedly under a certain Sison.
A certain Bebot is reportedly the operator in Villasis, Sto. Tomas, Alcala, Bautista and Carmen towns.
In the past, these operators were supposedly the ones behind jueteng in the province.
According to sources, daily jueteng bets in the six districts of Pangasinan reach P10 million but the amount could become higher with the yuletide season.
Despite these, provincial police director Senior Supt. Rosueto Ricaforte told local newsmen, “There is no jueteng in Pangasinan.”
Ricaforte earlier said those collecting bets were from neighboring towns of Pangasinan where there was small town lottery.
“These operators use people from Pangasinan to bring the collections to their area,” he said. “But that is still illegal,” he said.
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