Bishop confirms jueteng report

The Philippines may now be 90 percent jueteng-free but the government should not stop its efforts to completely eradicate the illegal numbers game after its self-imposed Thursday deadline lapsed, principal anti-jueteng crusader Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said yesterday.

He said the campaign against jueteng should continue without any limitation or arbitrary deadlines.

Cruz likewise confirmed the report made by anti-jueteng czar Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn that illegal lottery operations in the country have been all but eradicated, except for a few areas.

The bishop, who chairs the Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng (KBJL), said they would release to the media today a list of areas where jueteng continues to proliferate.

"This monitoring is our contribution to Mayor Hagedorn’s efforts against jueteng," Cruz said.

However, Cruz stressed they would continue with the crusade against operators and collectors of the illegal lottery as he urged the government to do the same.

Hagedorn, for his part, said his teams would continue to monitor jueteng activities across the country even after the deadline lapsed last Thursday.

"We will continue with our monitoring in these remaining areas where jueteng operations continue," Hagedorn said.

The Puerto Princesa mayor reiterated President Arroyo’s order that local officials in whose jurisdiction jueteng continues to thrive would be suspended for 90 days alongside the immediate relief of the area chief of police.

Hagedorn reiterated that public cooperation is key to the success of the campaign. He urged the public to report to the police any jueteng operations in their neighborhood.

"Again, we appeal to the public to help us in this campaign because only through their cooperation can we fully combat jueteng," he said.

Hagedorn had admitted his failure to totally eradicate the P20-billion jueteng industry nationwide after the mandated deadline elapsed Thursday.

But Hagedorn declared he was able to contain some of the biggest jueteng operations in Luzon, particularly from the Ilocos Region down to the Bicol Region as well as the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR).

Hagedorn conceded it would be nearly impossible to curb illegal gambling nationwide given the short period of time.

He said some of the long-term solutions could be the establishment of a legal alternative to jueteng like small-town lotteries and more livelihood opportunities.

It was Archbishop Cruz who led bishops in opposing moves to legalize jueteng.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has discouraged the public from patronizing numbers games and gambling, calling it "undesirable as it erodes the moral values of our people."

Cruz, who handled the key witnesses in the Senate jueteng inquiry that linked members of the President’s family to alleged payoffs, earlier revealed plans to legalize jueteng by replacing it with Bingo Combo, a government-run lottery game.

After the government denied backing such a plan, Cruz said the Small Town Lottery System was being formulated as another alternative.

Mrs. Arroyo has been dogged by allegations that some members of her family were receiving jueteng payoffs, accusations that were repeatedly denied.

Former President Joseph Estrada was also directly linked to jueteng operations by Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson who admitted being the bagman for the deposed leader.

Following his ouster in 2001, Estrada was charged with corruption and plunder before the Sandiganbayan.