‘STL’

There is a lot of confusion about the small-town lottery (STL) even among government officials who were supposed to implement this project designed to eliminate the illegal jueteng activities in many parts of the country. The confusion is such that it drove Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn into having nothing further to do with it.

Only last Monday, Mayor Hagedorn announced in a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Roxas Boulevard the pilot-testing of STL in a number of cities and provinces in the country. Mayor Hagedorn was designated in July last year by President Arroyo to head the National Anti-Jueteng Task Force to come up with proposed measures on how to address this pernicious illegal numbers game that has corrupted the moral fiber of the nation. The revival of the STL was among the recommended measures that the defunct Hagedorn Task Force submitted in their exit report to President Arroyo in September last year.

Mayor Hagedorn says this revival of the STL was endorsed to the President by no less than 400 mayors from all over the country in support of their common commitment to help put an end to jueteng gambling activities in their respective localities. In this way, the mayors explained, the STL would become an alternative source of income for the thousands of people like cabos (jueteng bet collectors) who lost their livelihood due to the government’s crackdown against jueteng operations.

What apparently complicated the matter was the entry into the picture of Michael Angelo Zuce as a member of the task force to monitor the STL implementation. Zuce is the former Malacañang Palace official who blew the whistle on President Arroyo’s purported meeting with his uncle, former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and several other Comelec officials who were allegedly paid off to ensure her victory in the May 10, 2004 presidential elections.

While he invited volunteers from various sectors, including those from the Church, Mayor Hagedorn insists he was most surprised to see the presence of Zuce who came forward to volunteer his services. Zuce admitted he had left his "handlers" who used his testimony against President Arroyo in the impeachment proceedings that were subsequently "killed" by her administration allies in Congress. Zuce cited he needed to feed and support his family which has suffered enough since he pulled that stunt last year.

Newly-appointed Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno was also caught by surprise by Hagedorn’s announcement about the pilot-testing of STL. Because he had just assumed office last month, Puno wanted clear guidelines be put in place first before the STL implementation took off even on a test basis. Puno has basis for asking this because he is mandated to implement the government’s anti-gambling policy through the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Naturally, anti-administration critics were quick to jump the gun in accusing Puno as wanting to use the STL to raise funds for the Charter change campaign of the Arroyo administration through the local government units (LGUs) which are strongly backing the STL.

The next day, presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor stepped into the picture to clarify that STL is still in the experimental stage of implementation and that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is the one in charge of this project, not Puno.

But when sought last Monday for clarification, PCSO chairman Sergio Valencia refused to say anything about STL and pointed to Mayor Hagedorn as the designated spokesman for this project. Given the mixed signals about STL from all these government officials, Mayor Hagedorn opted to be totally out of the picture.

For a brief background of the STL, this numbers game was first introduced in the country during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino. The PCSO operated the STL as an alternative state-sanctioned numbers game to wean away the people from jueteng which is the favorite gambling game of the poor and common folk. The STL, however, failed in its mission and was abandoned by the PCSO.

Despite this, President Arroyo approved the use of STL anew to try to eradicate the deeply-rooted socio-economic and political problems, especially the "culture of corruption", spawned by the illegal operations of jueteng, the proceeds of which were used to line the pockets of corrupt government, police and military officials to make them look the other way.

The illegal jueteng operation in the country has become so huge and lucrative that it has even reached the very seat of government at Malacañang Palace. That was why the STL was first conceived when relatives of Mrs. Aquino were linked to illegal jueteng operations in Central Luzon. I distinctly recall how an exasperated Mrs. Aquino bitterly complained she had lost most of her relatives at the same rate such accusations were hurled at them. Her successors in office were not spared from these jueteng accusations.

No less than former President Joseph Estrada was ousted from office because of his allegedly being on the take by self-confessed jueteng lord, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson. Estrada swears to high heavens that his erstwhile buddy was merely getting back at him when his administration tried to do away with jueteng when the PCSO came up with the "bingo two-ball" project. What riled Singson, Estrada recalls, was that the management of the "bingo two-ball" project was awarded by former PCSO chairperson Alice Reyes to the company owned by Charlie "Atong" Ang, estranged gambling partner of the Ilocos Sur governor. Because of Singson’s charges, Estrada was impeached in Congress. But before the impeachment proceedings could be completed against Estrada, he was ousted from office at the end of the January 2001 EDSA People Power Revolution.

Even President Arroyo herself was dragged into impeachment proceedings in Congress similarly on jueteng payola charges, proceeds of which were allegedly used in the May 2004 elections. Self-confessed jueteng operators like Sandra Cam, claimed she delivered jueteng payola to the President’s son and brother-in-law in Congress, Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo and Iggy Arroyo, respectively.

With these series of misfortunes our Presidents have had over jueteng, the people who aspire to lead this country must have skin like non-stick teflon to protect them while on the road leading to Malacañang Palace.

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