PNP directors: Jueteng ‘neutralized’ in Metro Manila

The police are confident that they had greatly neutralized the illegal numbers game jueteng in Metro Manila the past few days.

Five police district directors will report today their gains against jueteng during a command conference called by Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Romeo Peña to assess the general crime situation in the metropolis.

"We are trying to determine the present crime situation in Metro Manila and jueteng would be among the agenda," said Peña in a telephone interview.

The five police district directors told The STAR in separate interviews that they have licked the jueteng problem in their respective areas through "persuasion" or actual police operations.

Chief Superintendent Simeon Dizon Jr., Eastern Police District (EPD) director, said he used "credible people" to convince Marikina City-based gambling lord, Tony Santos, tagged as Metro Manila’s jueteng king to completely stop his operations.

"We received reports that breakaway bet collectors, afraid to lose their jobs, have pooled their resources and continue operating in Barangay Silang but we are now after them," said Dizon.

Dizon said he ordered a close monitoring of the vicinity of Our Lady of Abandon Church in Barangay Sta. Elena believed to be a "take-off" point of Santos’ jueteng operations.

For the past week, the Manila police had arrested some 30 people engaged in the illegal gambling operations, said Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon Jr., Western Police District (WPD) director.

Razon admitted jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling exist in Manila but stressed that "we will conduct continuous operations against them until they are completely stopped."

Chief Superintendent Manuel Cabigon, of the Southern Police District claimed jueteng is a thing of the past after his men arrested at least 25 people in their two-week anti-illegal gambling drive.

Cabigon said six of those arrested were personnel of a jueteng financier, a certain Boy Luna, who operates in the cities of Makati and Pasay City. Seized from them were P5,021 in cash bets and assorted jueteng paraphernalia such as ballpens, pencils, bet lists and a record box.

In Northern Metro Manila, Chief Superintendent Marlowe Pedregoza, director of the Northern Police District (NPD), said jueteng has completely been stopped in his area.

"We eradicated jueteng here at NPD," said Pedregoza adding that his men are conducting relentless operations against "a few who operates clandestinely."

Chief Superintendent Victor Luga of the Central Police District (CPD) admitted jueteng bet collectors continue to make their rounds in Proj. 4, Cubao, Kamuning and Novaliches.

"My men are hot on the trail of these bet collectors," said Luga. "Hopefully, by next week we may be able to stop them from plying their trade."

However, despite assurances by police officials that the operation of jueteng was already neutralized, The STAR learned from sources that Santos was still at it.

Santos, the source said, was using his close relatives and "dummies" as fronts of his jueteng operations. He identified some of them as Cris de la Paz, Eddie Caro, and a policeman identified as Danny Sarmiento and a certain Tepang, who owns a chain of beerhouses in Quezon City. Dela Paz is Santos’ half-brother while Caro is his son-in-law.

Santos is allegedly maintaining a training school in Cupang, Antipolo City where he trains his personnel for 15 days before deploying them.

He also owns a communication satellite at a tennis court in Cainta, Rizal were his day-to-day operations in other Luzon provinces was being relayed, the source added.

Peña said he would determine today who among the station and precinct commanders would go for their failure to curb jueteng in their respective areas of responsibility.

"They should do their job well being police officers," said Peña. "I’m asking them to do their job and if they failed to follow my orders, it’s a different story."

Peña pointed out that the jueteng drive is a continuing process as he vowed he would not hesitate to "crack the whip" against police officials found remiss on their duties.