Archbishop denounces STL
“THIS STL was a cover-up for jueteng”
This was the reaction of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, the country’s top anti- jueteng advocate, to the revived Small Town Lottery (STL).
Cruz, head of Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng (Crusade for Jueteng- Free Philippines), pointed out that the “financiers, operators, collectors are the same… so now the poor will be exploited by two gambling forms.”
He added that STL is the cover-up for jueteng because STL collectors with their Ids and betting records also carry their jueteng papelitos, to collect bets for both STL and jueteng.
With STL, Cruz said it will be “doble kabig (double earnings)” for the operators of STL since it will earn from jueteng and from STL with the same victims twice exploited, the same beneficiaries, certain local officials and police authorities, twice favored.
With the coming 2007 elections, he said the present Administration has to dance with gambling lords since its politicians will be needing money again from this gambling operation to fund their campaign. “Dati ng style yan. Alam na namin yan. Tumigil lang yan dahil inayos lang ang partehan,” Cruz said.
He recalled that in 2004, jueteng stopped for two months and then resurrected. “Dalawa lang ang alam ng gobyerno na gawin. Kunin ang pera ng bayan sa pamamagitan ng buwis at sa pamamagitan ng sugal, legal man o illegal.
Pagkatapos hindi mo naman alam kung saan napupunta ang mga ito,” Cruz said. He lamented that that even the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has lost its real mission for charity because it is now into gambling.
Meanwhile, Cruz said he could not totally blame Michael Angelo Zuce for now working with the government instead of his crusade. – EVA
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