No clear-cut policy on jueteng

By Bebot Villar

BANGAYAN nang bangayan because of illegal numbers game—mapa jueteng, loteng, jaiteng na pare-parehong jueteng din naman yan with different names, masiao at iba pa.

How many campaigns have been launched para patigilin yan? Ilang klaseng shame campaign na ba ang isinagawa to eradicate it? How many protest rallies were held na para ilantad sa publiko ang evil effects nyan?

How many public officials have been implicated sa illegal numbers game? Truth or lie, marami na ang nasaktan, marami na ang napahiya, marami na ang yumaman, marami nang pagkakaibigan ang nasira, ilan na rin ang namatay o pinatay all because of illegal gambling.

Ilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas have been suspected of being on the take, pati na ang mga kapamilya at malalapit sa kanila? In fact, yang jueteng na yan ang naging ugat ng downfall ng isang Presidente ng bansa.

At ilang mga police generals na ang nadawit dito, even the lowly police chiefs are not spared from suspicions of enriching themselves from jueteng and other illegal numbers’ game.

Often, the police are blamed for its proliferation although minsan naman ay hindi sila makakilos because the mayor wants to protect illegal gambling. In such cases, tumatahimik na lang sila, otherwise mare-relieve sila sa kanilang pwesto.

The problem is wala kasing maliwanag na policy or directive from the top tungkol sa mga bagay na ito. To act or not to act, yan ang kanilang dilemma. Senate inquiry, congressional probe, filing of Ombudsman case at kung anu-ano pa ang ginawa against those suspected na nakikinabang diumano sa illegal gambling. But after all is said and done, what happened?

* * * *

Ang laging ipinupukol na challenge to every new president of the Philippines is: Stop jueteng.

Cabinet secretaries are replaced by new Presidents, at isa sa mga pinaka-hot seat ay ang maging Secretary ng Department of Interior and Local Government.

Of course President PNoy is not spared from the jueteng issue. With his vaunted Tuwid na Landas campaign slogan, ang mga anti-jueteng advocates ay umaasa na ang jueteng and all forms of illegal gambling will eventually be a thing of the past.

Jueteng is an issue that affects the entire archipelago. Inumpisahan na ni DILG Secretary Mar Roxas ang mainit na usapin tungkol dyan. Well and good.

Sana nga lang maglabas na ng clear-cut policy ang Aquino administration against illegal gambling in the country. Once and for all, dikdikin ni Secretary Roxas ang mga elected local officials at pati ang PNP na under his department tungkol dito.

Sana once-and-for-all, sabihin na ang policy tungkol sa illegal numbers game. Gusto o ayaw? Kung gusto, what’s the use for Tuwid na Landas?

Naaala ko tuloy ang wish ko na sana gayahin ni Secretary Roxas ang tapang ni Senator Ping Lacson noong PNP chief siya. Under his leadership, wala talaga, as in bawal, itong jueteng at iba pang illegal numbers’ game sa buong bansa. Pag sinabi nyang bawal, he really meant it. Ang mga nangahas sumuway, may kinalagyan.

Ganyan sana din ngayon para siguradong tuwid na landas ang ating tatahakin! Hindi naman kaya ng mayor o hepe lang yan na patigilin. 

For instance, in my hometown Sto. Tomas, although some police stations tolerate jai-alai operations in their areas, ang police dito do not.

They recently arrested and sued a lady who collects bets for this gambling operation. Ayon sa aming police chief Sr. Insp. Allan Emerson Dauz, nag-file na ng case si Nida Latoja for violation of section 5 of Republic Act 954 for illegal gambling (jai-alai) sa regional trial court in Villasis, Pangasinan against last Jan. 21.

Itong si Latoja, 32, na taga Villa Real, Western Samar ay nahuli ng police in the act of collecting jai-alai bets nang walang permit to operate or collect bets. Walang jai-alai, walang jueteng sa Sto. Tomas kaya dapat lang na kasuhan siya. Inamin niya na ang collection niya ay dinadala sa kabilang bayan ng Carmen, Rosales town. 

Ang kaso ni Latoja should serve as a strong warning against anyone who collects jai-alai bets sa Sto. Tomas.

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