War on jueteng, a.k.a jai-alai

FOR eight long years, jueteng operators in Pangasinan found a very convenient cover for their illegal operations – Meridien Vista Gaming Corporation’s jai-alai off-fronton operations.

For too long, the province’s town and city mayors, in complicit with the Pangasinan police, pulled the wool over their eyes over the fact that the supposed uniformed jai-alai bet collectors were taking bets for jueteng not jai-alai. A quick check by The PUNCH over the years about the popularity of the supposed jai-alai operations revealed that bettors could not even remember names of regular jai-alai players in Cagayan province. Worse, when most off-fronton regular activities eventually ceased, bets were still being collected obviously, not for jai-alai.

The decision of Judge Florentino Dumlao Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 42 in Dagupan City to issue a writ of preliminary injunction against Meridien Vista Gaming Corporation to refrain from engaging in jai-alai or gambling and other forms of gambling in Pangasinan is, therefore,  timely and couldn’t have come at a better time. In fact, we say, it was a ruling that was long overdue.

The Duterte administration already declared that next to its war on drugs, the PNP is gearing itself for its next major war – this time it’s contra illegal gambling. This was acknowledged by Judge Dumlao himself in arguing for the issuance of the writ.

Dumlao’s ruling fired the first shot for the war on illegal gambling in Pangasinan.

Dangerous Duterte

WHEN Chief Justice Sereno sort of rebuked President Duterte for putting the names of several judges into his so-called “drug list,” the Chief Executive minced no words in firing back at the lady magistrate.  Sereno kept her cool, saying she’d rather remain silent than engage Mr. Duterte in a word war.  Two days after his outburst, the President apologized to Sereno for “the harsh words.”

Last Wednesday, Mr. Duterte vented his ire on Sen. De Lima, calling the newly-minted senator “immoral” for having her driver as her supposed “paramour” and “collector” of drug money she allegedly used in the last elections.  De Lima reacted by saying Mr. Duterte’s tirade was “character assassination” and “foul.”  De Lima, who is set to launch a Senate probe on alleged extra-judicial killings resulting from Mr. Duterte’s illegal drug campaign, also said she will not “dignify” the President’s accusations.  End of story?  Hardly.

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