GMA: I’ve said my piece on jueteng

"I have said all that I had to say."

President Arroyo remained unfazed by the bribery allegations raised against her husband and her son, saying she would rather concentrate on her job.

"I have nothing more to add to what I’ve said. I think that political intrigue is unimportant compared to the punishment of poverty," Mrs. Arroyo told a television news interview.

"I am focused like a laser beam on the work I have to do, which is what we have to do to create jobs and mitigate the impact of high oil prices."

Mrs. Arroyo maintained she would not be distracted by the controversy "except for a couple of statements I’ve had to make to make my stand" on the issue, which she earlier branded as rehashed charges from former President Joseph Estrada’s camp aimed at undermining her administration.

"As I’ve said, I’m not going to add any more statements. That is for whoever is paying attention to it, pay attention to it," she said.

"As far as I’m concerned, my attention is on jobs and prices which are difficult enough. Everybody blames me for the high prices, everybody blames me for the unemployment, and I can understand why."

The issue of politicians’ alleged involvement in the extremely lucrative jueteng racket has beset several presidential administrations.

Mrs. Arroyo first took office in 2001 after her predecessor, then-president Joseph Estrada was toppled by a popular uprising spawned by accusations that he was running an illegal gambling protection racket during his presidency and amassed millions of pesos in payoffs from jueteng operators.

Mrs. Arroyo was also loosely linked in the past to an alleged drug baron in her home province of Pampanga, Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda, a compadre of both Mrs. Arroyo and Estrada.

Recently, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel openly speculated that Mrs. Arroyo had "benefited" from jueteng barons, citing her seeming laxity in curbing the illegal small-town lotteries. He admitted that he had no proof, however.

Administration officials and allies criticized Pimentel for making sweeping accusations.

Despite repeated government crackdowns, the illegal numbers game continues to thrive because local officials and the police reportedly benefit from allowing it to continue operating.

Politicians are widely believed to be receiving huge political campaign donations from illegal gambling barons during elections.