Dagupan City mayor to police: Stop jueteng

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines  – The mayor of this Pangasinan city has given this marching order to his police chief: Do everything you can to stop jueteng.

Mayor Benjamin Lim issued this directive to Superintendent Romeo Caramat following the exposé of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop emeritus Oscar Cruz that two of President Aquino’s trusted officials overseeing security matters were allegedly receiving a minimum of P2 million in jueteng payola and that eight dioceses in the country are also benefiting from the illegal numbers game.

Lim said he had asked Caramat why jueteng continued to operate in the city and was told that it was on and off as draws were being done in another place.

Lim expressed hope that Caramat would be able to do his job, although he admitted that fighting jueteng would be a tough one considering that there are thousands of bettors.

“How would you arrest thousands of bettors and where would you jail them? We have to be practical about this,” he said.

“Jueteng has been there since time immemorial and I really appreciate Archbishop Cruz’s (move) to come out again in the open denouncing this long issue of ‘1-37,’ but we should remember that just like many vices, there has to be a substitute for that,” he added.

Lim said he favors the legalization of jueteng and its strict enforcement by the government so that bettors’ interest will be protected.

“The money collected will go to the right pocket and the taxes collected will go to the government,” he said

Lim said jueteng thrives because many people are benefiting from it.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Geraldo Roxas, police community relations officer of the provincial police, said jueteng has completely stopped in Pangasinan.

This, as Gov. Amado Espino Jr. directed the provincial police under Senior Superintendent Rosueto Ricaforte to intensify its campaign against illegal gambling, particularly jueteng.

“No one is placing bets now and no one is collecting bets,” Roxas said in a forum of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas’ Pangasinan chapter.