MANILA, Philippines - Binatikos kahapon ni National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. ang kilalang gambling operator na si Charlie “Atong” Ang dahil sa pinalulutang umano nitong may banta sa kanyang buhay.
Sinasabing ang threat sa buhay diumano ni Ang ay may koneksyon sa illegal numbers game operations nito.
“Ang’s illegal gambling, which gives no revenues to the government, is really inferior to our New Small Town Lottery, which guarantees a daily and monthly revenue for the government,” paliwanag pa ni Esperon.
Si Esperon kasma si Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III ay inaakusahan ni Ang na planong itumba siya at permanenteng patahimikin.
“Is it any wonder then that Ang is making noise? Hindi siya ang mamamatay. Mamamatay ang illegal gambling niya,” dagdag ni Esperon.
Operator umano si Ang ng virtual jai-alai numbers game sa pamamagitan ng Meridien Vista Gaming Corp. na nakabase sa Cagayan Freeport.
Nauna nang nagpasaklolo kay Pangulong Duterte si Ang para sagipin siya kina Aguirre, Esperon, at ilang miyembro ng Philippine Military Academy Class of 1982.
Kaugnay nito, itinanggi naman ni Esperon ang paratang na pinagbabantaan nito ang buhay ni Ang.
“Let me categorically deny that I have ever threatened him. He should show evidence or witnesses that I want to see him dead. It is very likely that he is concocting tall tales again. Mr. Ang is a known gambling lord, operating jueteng thru his illegal off fronton shops. He hardly pays taxes and fees. He is into so much illegal activities. I believe the issue at hand is basically a contest between a legal operator/regulator that is the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Mr. Ang, an illegal gambling operator,” dagdag nito.
Binanggit pa ni Esperon na sa kabila ng lisensyang nakuha ni Ang mula sa Cagayan Export Zone Authority ay dapat limitado ang operasyon nito sa CEZA.
Inakusahan din ni Esperon si Ang ng pag-o-operate sa Cagayan, Nueva Ecija at Pangasinan, gayundin sa Bicol at Mindanao kung saan ito nag-o-operate raw ito ng masiao.
Taliwas sa bagong patakaran ng STL ang mga prangkisa ay dapat mayroong “monthly guaranteed revenue” sa PCSO na tinatawag na Presumptive Monthly Retail Receipts (PMMR). Kinakailangan ding magdeposito ng 25 porsiyento ng PMRR, maabot man o hindi ang target.
“In the case of Pangasinan, the winning bid of PMRR was P225 million. The winner has therefore to deposit a non-refundable franchise fee of P56.25 million to be authorized to start operations, plus the P225 million PMRR which is the highest in the Philippines.So perhaps the threats he is claiming, imagined or real, were from lawmen who simply wanted to enforce our laws, or from rival gambling lords,” sabi pa ni Esperon.