Jueteng continues to proliferate

It’s 12 days now since Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina vowed to crush jueteng but the illegal numbers game continues to flourish openly in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. And if police inaction against jueteng in the recent past is the gauge, some observers note that Lina’s threat to shut down the illegal numbers game in one year, will remain in limbo.

"It’s all words and no action," a ranking police official told The STAR, noting that with recent developments, Lina’s threat to completely stamp out jueteng will most likely turn out to be a "dud."

In an "Illegal Gambling Summit" jointly hosted by Lina and Director General Leandro Mendoza, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Camp Crame last April 3, a strategy on how to eradicate jueteng was arrived at.

The Interior secretary revealed that at least 44 gambling lords are operating in the country and they rake in billions of pesos weekly.

Lina warned police and local officials of the consequences should they fail to curb the illegal numbers game in their respective jurisdictions. He also put his neck on the line should he fail to stop jueteng. But despite Lina’s strong words and threats of severe punishment, jueteng lords in Metro Manila and environs remain unperturbed and their illegal business continues to thrive under the very noses of police and local officials.

STAR sources identified the jueteng operators in Metro Manila who continue defying Lina’s directive as Eddie Caro, Julie Baba, Aging Lisan, Ely Mango, Joe Lazaro, Eric Ang, Milo Samson, Danny Santos, Tony Francisco, Danny Sarmiento, Tepang, Peping Suarez, Daniel Tan and Lucy Santos.

In Metro Manila’s neighboring provinces, jueteng lords Boyet Bouschere and Gener Amante draw their winning combinations in the mountains to elude police raids in Laguna; the Viceo brothers dominate the province of Bulacan; Jesse Viceo, Eddie Caro and Elmer Nepomuceno share Rizal and Nepomuceno and an alias Kapitan Tana, Cavite.

It was the second time that Lina ordered all-out war against jueteng. When he assumed office last year, Lina also directed the police to conduct daily raids on jueteng dens but failed to stamp it out. And worse, the continued operations of these jueteng lords allegedly have the blessing of police and local officials, who allegedly receive weekly protection money from them, sources said.

Even the office of Lina was not spared from charges of payola .

Sources said a group headed by a certain Wally, said to be a retired police officer and a Delfin Gener alias Boy Tangkad, claiming to be from Lina’s office, collect protection money from jueteng lords not only in Metro Manila but all over the country.

Lina could not be reached for comment. The STAR also rang up Metro Manila police chief Director Edgar Aglipay’s mobile phones but nobody answered or the lines were busy.