Pampanga mayors backtrack on jueteng legalization

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The mayors of Pampanga backtracked yesterday from their earlier plan to ask Congress to legalize jueteng.

Candaba, Pampanga Mayor Jerry Pelayo, Pampanga Mayors League (PML) spokesman, told The STAR yesterday: "Huwag muna yun (Let’s not talk about that)," when asked if they would still pursue their proposal asking Congress to legalize jueteng.

He claimed he did not expect to be quoted on the jueteng issue following The STAR’s telephone interview with him last Sunday.

Meanwhile in Pangasinan, Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico Jr., League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) national president, said yesterday a majority of municipal mayors in the country favor the legalization of jueteng so that the money could be used for social welfare programs, health services and education for the poor.

"Sige na, legalize na yan para matapos na yang isyung ’yan (Come on, have it legalized to end that issue once and for all)," he said.

Guico said the LMP national directorate comprised of LMP provincial chapter presidents will meet in Cebu City next week to tackle the PML proposal to legalize jueteng.

This will also allow the LMP to gather a consensus of provincial chapter officers on the sentiments of their respective localities, he added.

At Malacañang, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo, far from backing legalized jueteng, had ordered police to crack down on it along with other forms of illegal betting to discourage a culture of gambling and laziness among the people.

"The President is firm in her decision" to fight an all-out war against jueteng, he said.

"We must remember that the President was the one who signed last year the law increasing the penalties on jueteng. The position of the President is clear on this issue: that jueteng must be eradicated and this, by law, is considered illegal and there are other forms of gambling that are, up to now, stated in our statute books as illegal."

Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo has sought the help of non-government organizations in generating alternative means of livelihood for families who depend on jueteng for a living.

"Let us all work on creating alternative means of livelihood in our respective communities because there really would be many people … displaced by these anti-jueteng operations," he said.

Jueteng bet collectors could be given amnesty if they give themselves up to authorities, Bunye said.

Meanwhile, Pelayo said that, for now, the PML would simply back Mrs. Arroyo’s call to stop the popular numbers game instead of lobbying Congress for its legalization.

In a radio interview in a restaurant in Quezon City yesterday, Pelayo denied the PML had plans to ask Congress to legalize jueteng, which is believed to be prevalent in Pampanga and the rest of Central Luzon.

While he denied that Pampanga mayors are seeking jueteng’s legalization, Pelayo claimed some members of Mrs. Arroyo’s Cabinet have been open about their support for such moves.

But Pelayo denied reports that Malacañang had instructed him to retract his statements about jueteng’s legalization as this could prove controversial since Pampanga is Mrs. Arroyo’s home province.

During last Sunday’s interview, Pelayo claimed Mrs. Arroyo supported the legalization of the popular but illegal numbers game.

Reminded that this view seemed to contradict statements being issued by Malacañang, he insisted it was true, and even cited three Cabinet members who allegedly support legalized jueteng.

Mabalacat, Pampanga Mayor Marino Morales confirmed to The STAR Sunday that Pelayo had initiated the proposal to have jueteng legalized.

However, Morales said he was not aware whether Lubao, Pampanga Mayor Dennis Pineda, a son of suspected jueteng lord Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda, knew about the PML proposal as the latter could not be reached in the United States.

He said Pelayo had initiated the jueteng legalization move, which was supposed to have been part of the league’s agenda during a meeting in Quezon City yesterday.

Meanwhile, police said yesterday Central Luzon is now "certified jueteng-free" following continuous police operations in Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, and the cities of Olongapo and Angeles.

Chief Superintendent Alejandro Lapinid, Central Luzon police director, said close to a hundred bet collectors have been arrested and more than P34,000 in cash has been seized in the crackdown on jueteng operations.

Lapinid said local government officials, parish priests and non-government organizations have signed a certification declaring that jueteng no longer exists in their localities.

The campaign against jueteng is not solely the responsibility of the police, but also of the local chief executives, he added.

Illegal gambling would not thrive in an area without the knowledge of local officials, Lapinid said.

On the other hand, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas assured displaced jueteng bet collectors yesterday that the government would provide them with alternative livelihood.

"There might be some displacements as a result of the anti-jueteng drive so we are preparing alternative livelihood and safety nets," she said.

"I will be meeting with DILG Secretary Angelo Reyes to discuss possible options to assist those who would be dislocated by the anti-jueteng campaign."

In Angeles City, tens of thousands of families who directly and indirectly benefited from jueteng are now planning to boycott politicians and government officials in the next elections. 

"Walang boboto ni isa sa amin sa kanila sa susunod na eleksyon (Not a single one of us would vote for them in the next elections)," said Tektek David, a former cabo or bet collector, who depends on the illegal numbers game for a living.

David said she could not enroll her three children in school this year because of financial hardship following the government’s anti-jueteng campaign.

"Unlike before, where jueteng operates, the government and myself did not have a problem," she said.

David said displaced bet collectors plan to hold a rally at the Senate to dramatize their demand for the resumption of jueteng operations in Pampanga. 

Former jueteng workers are closely identifying senators and congressmen critical of the illegal numbers game, blaming them for their dislocation, she added. — With reports from Eva Visperas, Paolo Romero, Ric Sapnu