Jueteng, lesser evil than shabu?

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March Fianza

Drugs, particularly shabu, and lately gambling, particularly lotto linked to corruption angered President Digong to the extent of investigating and eventually sacking government employees directly and indirectly dealing with the hot items.

Stories about fighting illegal drugs and illegal gambling were told, but what caught the attention of many is the president’s mode of selecting which may or may not be allowed.

His reasons are as controversial as the items themselves. In July, he ordered all gaming schemes of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to close until the government finishes its investigation into the alleged corruption within the gaming agency.

President Duterte also said investigators will identify all personalities involved in the massive corruption within the PCSO, and until such time that the investigation is finished, all lotto outlets will stay closed.

But in only four days, the President changed his mind. Lotto operations resumed quickly as it was suspended, evenwhile investigators have yet to identify people involved in the alleged massive corruption at the PCSO.

Malacanang said, the resumption of lotto was in response to the need for government to provide funds for medical assistance and social services, which to me was an incredible reason.

It was as if they did not know that in the first place, PCSO’s legalized games and PAGCOR’s casinos existed for social services and medical assistance. Then almost a month passed after the suspension, STL resumed but along with it, jueteng operators also started collecting bets.    

Gambling “consultants” in the PCSO made us believe that STL would eradicate jueteng. On the contrary, the opposite happened – STL became the shield for the illegal numbers game of jueteng.

With suggestions to make STL operations more transparent, the PCSO consistently resisted it. Instead, it even allowed jueteng collectors to wear IDs from PCSO to make it appear they are collecting STL bets for the agency. Senator Ping Lacson knew that.

If the fight is anti-corruption then all forms of gambling should have been stopped, including STL that was operating to cover jueteng activities. But that was not the order.

Instead, President Duterte said he might as well let jueteng operations continue because many families depend on it for food on the table and for medicine.

The perceived solution to the problem has become a permanent problem itself. One can be corrupt as long as families do not go hungry. With that, President Duterte’s fight against corruption has become suspect.

One of the conditions set for STL to resume was the payment of a cash bond equivalent to three months of PCSO’s share in the agents’ guaranteed minimum monthly retail receipts (GMMRR).

They cannot fool a fool with that bull. Of course, bettors know that the jueteng operators are the ones who paid the cash bond, because they are the same people who are operating the STL.  

But President Duterte who decided to go easy on jueteng is not alone, as an ally in the person of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa described jueteng as a “lesser evil” compared to the illegal drug trade.

Then I read that in a forum at the senate, he said, “the President just wants to reach a compromise by dealing with the lesser evil (jueteng)”. I do not know if he was defending the President or embarrassing him.

To make things worse and putting himself on the spot, Senator Dela Rosa, a former PNP Chief further said that jueteng operators might just turn to illegal drug trade if the government cracks down on jueteng. OMG.

Earlier, the President warned that a crackdown on jueteng might benefit illegal drug traders. My answer is that at present there could be jueteng operators who are also in the drug trade.

Jueteng and illegal drug traders are of the same kind. It is money that they want and they do not choose their victims. And since President Duterte claims that jueteng has an intensive and extensive network, there is the possibility that the jueteng and STL kubradores know who in that community may be dealing drugs, if not they themselves.

President Duterte recognized jueteng as unlawful and cannot be allowed but said, if he stopped it, he must be prepared to provide another livelihood scheme to the people.

That argument is misplaced. His duty as President is to abide by the Constitution by stopping illegal activities and corruption and provide livelihood for his people at the same time, and not to do the opposite which is to allow jueteng to operate because he cannot provide food for the table.

Senator Lacson said that STL is deep in corruption since PCSO only collects P4 billion yearly from its operations while the estimated collections from jueteng in Metro Manila, Cordillera Region, the Ilocos and Cagayan Regions, and Regions 3, 4 and 5 was at P73 billion a year.

He added, the money goes to the individual pockets of STL franchise holders, corrupt politicians, policemen and PCSO officials, and no matter how many congressional hearings are conducted, “the palms of these people continue to be greased by gambling money.”

Senator Bato and President Digong agree with each other that in jueteng and gambling, many are able to live that is why they can allow it to operate; while in illegal drugs, people die. Okay, but if that is the way they decide, then maybe their minds have already been corrupted, too.