Localize control of Bingo-2 to curb jueteng, says mayor

TARLAC CITY — This city’s mayor, who once admitted receiving protection money from jueteng operators to defray his expenses for weddings, baptisms and the like, said one "surefire formula" to eradicate the illegal numbers game is to localize the control of Bingo-2 Ball, if Malacañang decides to resume it.

Mayor Gelacio Manalang said placing the management of Bingo-2 Ball, the so-called "legalized jueteng," under the control of city and municipal governments will also curb turf wars among operators and financiers of illegal gambling and prevent the emergence of big-time gambling lords.

President Estrada recently suspended Bingo-2 Ball following differences between Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and Charlie "Atong" Ang, whom the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. contracted to operate it, and the former’s exposé that President Estrada was on the take from jueteng operations.

Manalang said local governments should be given a "free hand" in choosing who would manage Bingo-2 Ball in their respective jurisdictions.

"My intention in suggesting this scheme is for the benefit of the constituents of local governments," he said. "I have no selfish interests here since I am now serving my third and last term in office."

To make the legal two-numbers game "orderly," he suggested that "franchises" to operate it should be approved by city or municipal councils before mayors issue business permits.

Manalang added that managers of the game should hail from the locality itself.

"If a local government thinks that gambling is immoral, or there is strong opposition from the people against the game, then the concerned local government unit can have a free hand in disapproving it," he said.

Once Bingo-2 Ball is approved, Manalang said 10 percent of the total collection from the game should be remitted to the city or municipal treasurer who, in turn, would remit to Pagcor the percentage it would ask for.

"This way, we could decentralize the operations of the two-numbers game, which would eliminate monopoly, and eventually prevent the emergence of gambling lords," he said.

In 1995, Manalang, then seeking a second term, admitted in a meeting of Rotary Clubs in the province, that he had been receiving P50,000 in protection money monthly from jueteng operators and financiers.

"I did that before because of solicitors who come to my office and home everyday. People would ask me to give money for burials, baptisms, weddings, basketball tournaments, discos in barangays. Because I yielded to these, my salary as mayor was not enough," he said in an interview.

But when former President Ramos asked him to stop all jueteng operations here, Mana-lang said, "I complied. I immediately ordered our police to be on a tight watch."