‘I’m not biggest jueteng payola recipient’

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — "I am not Palmolive."

Thus declared Gov. Rodolfo Agbayani last Monday, dismissing insinuations that he was the biggest recipient of payoffs from local jueteng operators with the alias Palmolive.

Agbayani, in a highly emotional speech before hundreds of provincial government employees during last Monday’s flag ceremony at the provincial capitol here, even vowed to step down from office if the insinuations that he was receiving P235,000 a month from jueteng operators are proven.

Agbayani, a former Regional Trial Court judge, admitted he is considering filing a libel suit against the producers of Assignment, an ABS-CBN public affairs program which, in its March 1 episode, allegedly hinted he was receiving payoffs from operators of the illegal numbers game.

The Assignment episode, the provincial affairs, information and assistance division claimed, made Agbayani appear as Palmolive, the biggest recipient of jueteng payola based on a supposed list being kept by Bayombong Bishop Ramon Villena.

Agbayani, who broke down in tears, declared that he would not think twice of stepping down from his post and withdrawing from the gubernatorial race if the innuendoes that he and Palmolive are the same person, are proven.

The 64-year-old Agbayani is seeking his third and final term as governor of this landlocked province against a virtually unknown candidate.

"If it were for money, I would not have joined the government service. Modesty aside, I was financially making good as a lawyer," Agbayani said.

He added that his entire family is now urging him to retire from politics and not to push through with his candidacy because of the jueteng controversy.

The Assignment episode, which also alleged that Agbayani was passive to jueteng operations, came weeks after Bishop Villena threatened to expose a supposed list of local officials and police officers receiving protection money from jueteng operators.

Villena, co-chairman of the influential Bishop-Businessmen Conference, said he would reveal the list, which he claimed a "reformed" jueteng operator gave to him, if the authorities failed to stamp out the illegal numbers game.

The TV show’s episode prompted Agbayani to leave the Knights of Columbus, saying his continued membership in the Catholic-led fraternity is now "untenable," especially that Villena is the "faithful friar" of its local chapter.