Court shoots down TRO bid on STL crackdown

The Quezon City government scored a major legal victory yesterday against the operation of a legalized form of jueteng in the city after a regional trial court judge dismissed a petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against a crackdown on the small town lottery (STL).

Judge Benelito Fernandez of QCRTC Branch 97 dismissed the petition of the Benchmark Acquisition International for the revival of the STL through a TRO on a recent cease and desist order of the city government, according to a report from radio dzBB.

Quoting the two-page decision of Judge Benelito Fernandez, the report said the TRO no longer applies because the city government has successfully stopped the operation of STL in the city.

The court also found no merit in claims by the STL operator that it has lost money because they were operating without a business permit from the city government.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. welcomed the court decision, saying it reflects the general sentiment of the 2.4 million residents of the city.

"The people of Quezon City are happy so I am, too," Belmonte told The STAR.

The mayor has remained firm on his decision to keep the legalized version of the numbers game away from the city "because Quezon City is jueteng-free."

Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan Jr., Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, also welcomed the decision and continued to express his full support for the crackdown ordered by the mayor.

Radovan warned STL operators that the full force of the law would be applied if they insist on operating in Quezon City.

The QCPD earlier launched a crackdown and arrested dozens of STL employees after Benchmark defied the cease and desist order issued by City Hall’s Business Permit and License Office (BPLO).

Sources said the STL operations in Quezon City were manned by jueteng operators from Pampanga.

During a closed-door hearing the other day, some 50 jueteng personnel gathered outside the courtroom with placards urging City Hall to allow the operation of the numbers game in the city.

When interviewed by The STAR, some of the demonstrators said they came all the way from San Fernando, Pampanga to assist STL operations in the city.

Sources also claimed that a government official, who plans to run in the local elections, is behind the STL operation in the city.