‘Jueteng’ may help revive economy — solon

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – Don’t look now, but jueteng money may yet help revive the country’s ailing economy.

This, according to a ranking official from the House committee on appropriations, could come about if jueteng is legalized wherein the government could raise billions of pesos in badly needed revenues to pump-prime the economy and to provide funds for the National Budget.

Rep. Josie Manuel-Joson of the first congressional district of Nueva Ecija, committee vice chairman, expressed belief that legalizing jueteng is one of the solutions to the government’s perennial problem of lack of funds because of the potential revenues that could be raised once legalization is pushed.

"As vice chairman of the appropriations committee in the House, I am aware of our funding problems. If legalizing jueteng could help raise funds for the National Government, then why don’t we proceed with it?" Joson said.

She said that because jueteng is not yet legalized, the money lands in the hands of big-time gambling lords. "It’s really a question now of whether law enforcers could implement the law if jueteng is legalized," she said.

She made the comment amid snowballing moves by some senators to push the legalization to minimize, if not totally eliminate corruption arising from jueteng’s clandestine operations.

She clarified, however, that she is personally against jueteng because it only raises false hopes among Filipinos. "But I can manage if it is legalized if really there is nothing we could do to stop it."

Another Nueva Ecija congressman, third district Rep. Aurelio Umali, opined, however, that the only fool-proof solution to eradicate jueteng is for government to provide the necessary infrastructure for mass employment and poverty alleviation.

"The bottom line is not so much whether we should legalize it or not but, rather for jobs to be created and poverty to be addressed," Umali said.

Umali acknowlegded that many people are employed in the controversial illegal numbers game and depend on it for survival. He said that since employment is what jueteng provides, creation of job opportunities would somehow help offset this. He said a referendum on the issue will not solve anything, describing jueteng-related discussions as "pointless."

Yet another congressman, Rep. Raul Villareal of the fourth congressional district of the province said legalizing jueteng at this point in time is an idea whose time has come.

Villareal said he has always been for legalization, recalling that when his wife Julita was still the congresswoman and was sitting as chairperson of the committee on games and amusements, she even endorsed a bill legalizing the illegal numbers game.