Tougher laws versus illegal gambling eyed

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. urged Congress yesterday to amend the anti-gambling law to neutralize gambling bosses who continue their operations with impunity because of the light fines and penalties imposed by law.

Lina said that while new measures are being carried out to combat jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling, tough laws must also be put in place.

He said arrested gambling lords simply pay small fines and return to business usually on the same day, making a mockery of the current drive to rid the country of what he called a perennial evil that has corrupted the nation for more than a century.

"With meager fines, gambling lords still find it enormously profitable to continue operations, even setting aside budgets to deal with fines and other penalties in their grand scheme to circumvent the intent of anti-gambling laws," Lina said.

He said among the measures being adopted by the DILG to curb illegal gambling is to crack the whip on police and local officials who tolerate illegal gambling in their jurisdictions.

He said, however, that no matter how vigorous the government’s anti-illegal gambling drive, it would continue to flourish if gambling laws are not amended.

"Our campaign must be aided by tougher laws to effectively neutralize gambling syndicates," Lina said.

In February, the DILG and PNP also unveiled a scheme to ensure a "no-take" policy in the new anti-illegal gambling drive.

Under the scheme, any jueteng arrest will result in the automatic relief of the chief of police where the arrest was made. If two chiefs of police are relieved due to jueteng, the provincial commander will be sacked. And if a provincial commander is sacked, a regional commander may be removed too.

Lina, a former Laguna governor, adopted the policy in a campaign to eliminate jueteng in Southern Tagalog, which covers 10 provinces, where jueteng has thrived for several decades.

Provincial police earlier pledged full support to Lina’s "no-take" policy and said they would intensify operations against jueteng operators whose number is reportedly rising.

In San Pedro, police said jueteng operations are allegedly maintained by one Tony Ong and a certain Edwin while jueteng in Calamba is allegedly operated by one Eddie Caro and a certain "Fajardo."

Police said, however, that they are having a difficult time pinning down these gambling lords because they have "kangaroo style" operations where the drawing of winning numbers are held in difference places, one after the other.

The DILG was also set to file illegal gambling charges against suspected gambling lord Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda but the move apparently did not have much impact because of the laxity of the law.

Lina said the case against Pineda is but one of several that are being prepared against big-time gambling lords in the country.

Police had earlier tagged members of the Singson family in Ilocos Sur, the Prietos in the Bicol region and the Viceos in Bulacan as among those who are to be charged, Lina said.

Authorities are also set to charge two other gambling lords, supposedly from the Southern Tagalog region, but Lina declined to identify them.