Don’t legalize jueteng, just
decriminalize it, says bishop
The Manila Times 05/9/2005
By Florante Solmerin, Northern Luzon Bureau
ILAGAN, Isabela: If the government has ran
out of alternatives to stop jueteng, it should be decriminalize so
everybody will benefit from it and corruption is minimized,
according to outspoken illegal-gambling critic Bishop Sergio Utleg
of Ilagan.
“I’m of the opinion that legalizing jueteng
is tantamount to making corruption legal in this country,” Utleg
said. “I would rather suggest that jueteng be decriminalized
so that the common people who bet will benefit from it without being
detained because they violated a law.”
On May 5 after a preliminary hearing on the
jueteng fiasco that was attended by Archbishop Oscar Cruz of
Dagupan-Lingayen, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel asked the Senate Committee
on Games and Amusements chaired by Sen. Lito Lapid, to convene a
Senate inquiry and suggested 24 resource persons from the police,
government and church sectors to give their opinions on the jueteng
issue.
Cruz, chair of the Kilusang Bayan Laban sa
Jueteng, rejected the legalization of jueteng.
Utleg explained that decriminalizing jueteng and
allowing its operation by cooperative would at least minimize the
corruption being perpetuated by unscrupulous people coddling the
present setup of the illegal numbers game.
“An illegal activity such as jueteng being
operated at a nationwide scale is always intertwined with abuse from
people in authority who benefit from it. In short, corruption
is always there because of protection money, or what they call
jueteng payola,” Utleg added.
In Cagayan Valley, however, only Bishop Ramon
Villena of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, was included on the list of
resource persons being summoned to the Senate inquiry to start on
Monday.
Utleg and Villena are vocal critics of illegal
gambling, particularly jueteng, within their episcopal jurisdictions
in Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya-Quirino, respectively.
Meanwhile, reliable sources said three daily
jueteng draws are being held in Isabela by a former barangay chair
from Zambales named “Ngongo.” Some members of the Isabela
clergy confirmed this.
Jueteng draws are also being done in Nueva
Vizcaya, allegedly operated by the brother of a police official, in
cooperation with a gambling lord who is among the 24 resources
persons tagged by Pimentel. In Quirino, however, jueteng draws
have been reduced to once daily.
Villena plans to bare a list of gambling lords
and protectors of jueteng within his episcopate. But the
bishop said he could not attend the Senate inquiry because of
previous urgent engagements. He designated his spokesman, Rev.
Vic Tiam, to represent him and give the committee the said list.
In Cagayan, jeuteng collection returned to
“guerrilla” operation in some towns where jueteng is active
after Sr. Supt. James Melad, the provincial commander, immediately
implemented the three-strike policy for all chiefs of police to rid
their areas of jueteng.
President Arroyo on Friday revived the
three-strike policy and warned the Philippine National Police
officials of the consequences should jueteng continues to persist
within their areas of responsibility.
