Jueteng lords testing the waters, says Cruz

DAGUPAN CITY — Juetengeros (jueteng lords) were testing the waters as they attempted to revive the popular illegal numbers game in several provinces, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said.

"In case the local officials and police authorities concerned are interested, they might want to check if the juetengeros (were) really trying to make a comeback," said Cruz, chairman of the Krusadang Bayan Laban sa Jueteng.

Cruz said the jueteng lords apparently wanted to revive the illegal numbers game in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Laguna, Quezon and Batangas and in the Bicol region.

Cruz said the jueteng draws usually start in one barangay, and once tolerated or even protected, more draws crop up in other places.

He said jueteng now goes under the guise of "easy 2" or "pick-2" — courtesy of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office through "lotto."

There are usually three "bola (jueteng draws) every day: two for the main jueteng and one for the "para-lotto," Cruz said.

He said gambling lords were earlier "requested" to stop their illegal operations, and "they did — for a time."

"They are at it again just in case they can get away with it as they did for a long time," he said.

Cruz refused to name the gambling lords, saying, "Every Mang Pedro and Aling Petra know (who they) are, where they reside, what they do."

"But those paid by people’s taxes to run after them and put them in jail for their flagrant illegal activities do not know who they are and where to find them. How strange! How interesting!" he said.

"As to the administration, it is admirable that (it) can readily stay executions. It can easily stop death penalties. But it seems incapable of stopping illegal gambling in the country. How perplexing but true!" he added.

Earlier, Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn, head of the government’s Anti-Jueteng Task Force, expressed alarm over what he described as the "creative innovations" of jueteng operators to pursue their racket across Luzon.

Hagedorn cited a barangay in Baguio City which even passed a resolution authorizing the conduct of "bingo lottery" to cloak with legality what he said was a patently illegal numbers game. — With Edu Punay