Jueteng , bars for minors and underground drug deals

BULL’S HIT
Rudy Garcia

Perhaps it is true that jueteng doesn’t exist in Baguio City, but bet collectors are back in business collecting money from bettors and submit these to somewhere else in La Trinidad, Benguet.

If the jai-alai at La Trinidad is being used as front for this “teng-we” as reported to us by informants, then I surmise there was a done deal between some Benguet officials, the police and jueteng operators. I wonder though why kubradors are openly collecting money for bets in Baguio without any questions asked.

In the first place, if Baguio concerned officials would really like to know the real picture of these bet collections for Jail-alai “kuno”, then they could have ordered the police intelligence department or hire the services of a private detective agency to monitor the movements of these kubradors.

But sad to note, nobody lifted a finger. Why? I don’t want to think that Baguio is one of those reported areas where jueteng is back in Northern Luzon.
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Two weeks ago, my bubuwit went to the land transportation office in Baguio for the renewal of his driver’s license. According to him, while he was entering the LTO compound, several persons rushed to meet him and offered deals to fix his license for an amount of money but he just ignored them and went to fall in line with other people doing the same transaction at the licensing division.

While waiting for his turn to be called, he noticed that there were several posters posted at the walls of the said Land Transportation office and written in big letters “bawal ang fixers”! Whew! I could not understand why these posters are being placed at their walls for the public to know, but seemingly doing nothing to apprehend these fixers roaming around within their compound.

I could not help but think again of that billboard at the post office loop beside the Department of transportation and Communication Office-Cordillera that is printed “ This city is a smoke belching free city”! Bistadong papogi points. Wake up little three Suzies!
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This is to call the attention of kabayanihan punong barangay Michael Carl Flores and Councilor Edison Bilog, committee chairman for peace and order in Baguio to look into those bar establishments who allow minors to enter and drink liquor.

A bar at the basement of Cospal Building (Yanganot’s Bar) is even allowing young people to play poker games inside their premise and how true is it that a similar bar which is a stone’s throw away from the Kabayanihan Barangay office is serving liquor when its permit applied for and issued was supposed to be for a restaurant?

I challenge barangay captain Michael Flores to inspect for himself these establishments if he wants us to believe that he is doing his job, if not, then sorry to say that he doesn’t deserve to serve another term, period!
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With the low temperature, the coldest ever now being experienced in Baguio, the Baguio water district is I guess relieved because most of us prefer a few drops of water to sprinkle than taking a bath from a pail of water.

On the other hand, I guess the Population Commission is worried that our population might double next year… couples enjoy warming up in bed and enjoy the cold evenings.

The next job is that of OB-gyne departments in hospitals. But sad to say that there are no hospitals to cure the diseases of those dying vegetables in Benguet due to frost. Just the same, enjoy the cold air of the mountain resort city. It is only once a year. Wear thick sweaters and jackets, sip your favorite hot coffee and take a lot of vitamin C…Brrrrr…
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I wonder no more why illegal drug dealers continue their brisk, lucrative business and are not cowed by arrest or even trials at the courts. I had this experience of testing a drug enforcement agent assigned at Camp Dangwa who led alleged drug entrapment operation months back.

The wife of one of the suspects approached me and said the operatives were allegedly out to extort money from them. Her husband is now detained at the Baguio jail and the case is now pending at the trial court in Baguio.

The bail amount for the supposed release was too high this woman has to move heaven and earth to raise the amount. She approached and begged me if I could talk and persuade the agents to lay law on the case.

I was able to talk to one of the lead agents and boy, was I am surprised. He told me they would ask the judge handling the case to dismiss it if the couple will pay a certain amount in exchange for the favor.

Holy cow, if this case could be dismissed by the judge in cahoots perhaps with the enforcement officers, how much more to the other cases? Are our drug enforcement officers making money making drug suspects their milking cows?

Are our prosecutors or judges taking part in the pie? If not, then I wonder why these drug officers are bold enough to extort money from the suspects!
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Due to time and space constraints, the exclusive expose of the misdeeds at the registry of deeds in Baguio City will be in the next issue of this column. “Abangan!