Jueteng lords taking advantage of STL?

Financiers and protectors of jueteng are reportedly taking advantage of the government-approved small town lottery (STL) to pursue their illegal operations.

Philippine National Police chief Director Arturo Lomibao, however, said yesterday these reports that STL is being used as a jueteng front were still being verified.

"We have to analyze. Baka naman hindi ganun kalala (It may not be that serious)," he said.

Lomibao has reactivated the PNP’s Anti-Jueteng Task Force not only to look into the reported resurgence of the illegal numbers game in parts of Luzon but also on STL being used as a jueteng front.

Lomibao designated Chief Superintendent Jesus Verzosa as head of the task force.

In the regular weekly forum at Camp Crame, Lomibao admitted that STL follows a similar concept as jueteng’s where a two-number winning combination is drawn.

"Di mo alam kung jueteng or STL (You are unsure if it’s jueteng or STL)… There has to be a determination," he said.

But with the Anti-Jueteng Task Force reactivated, Lomibao said he expects this confusion to be settled as Verzosa’s group "reinvigorates" the campaign against the illegal numbers game.

He warned regional police directors that they would be relieved from their posts if jueteng is found to have resurfaced in their turfs.

"This is a very serious policy and I will not hesitate to relieve anybody if they do not follow this," he said.

Asked if he would recommend the scrapping of STL if it is proven that it is being used as a jueteng front, Lomibao was non-committal.

"That is jumping the gun. Kailangan pag-aralan muna natin (We have to study that first). We also have to look at the advantage of STL," he said.

He said STL was specifically created to provide livelihood to thousands of jueteng workers displaced by the government’s crackdown.

According to reports, jueteng has returned in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, particularly Isabela, Central Luzon, the Cordilleras, Southern Tagalog and the Bicol region.