Palace urged to certify lottery bill as urgent

BAGUIO CITY — Mountain Province Rep. Victor Dominguez urged Malacañang to certify as urgent his proposed "Filipino Lottery Act" which seeks to legalize jueteng.

Dominguez disclosed that he sent a letter to Malacañang last Tuesday to make the recommendation.

Declaring House Bill No. 1656 urgent, Dominguez said, would put to rest allegations that First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and his son, Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, were on the take from gambling operators.

The lawmaker said the illegal numbers game is so ingrained in the Filipino culture that it is almost impossible to eradicate it. "It has never left us," he said.

If jueteng and other illegal numbers games like masiao are legalized, Dominguez said the government stands to earn P3 billion a year.