AFTER ESTRADA VISIT? : Jueteng back in Nueva Ecija

CABANATUAN CITY — Jueteng, which has triggered the biggest political scandal to hit the Estrada presidency, is back with a vengeance in Nueva Ecija, a week after the President visited the province.

Jueteng operations have resumed in the city, in the town of Laur and in other towns of the province.

No one could tell who was responsible for the renewed jueteng operations but there were reports the one in charge is a certain Munti who fronted for jueteng lords in the past.

Some said a former government official was also behind its operations.

Some sources said that while jueteng was reported to have stopped in the province, it never actually did.

"Don’t buy that crap that jueteng has stopped. It never really left," the source said.

In fact, the source said, jueteng had been operating even before President Estrada visited the province two weeks ago.

In a lull during the presidential visit in Muñoz town last Nov. 21, Interior and Local Governments Secretary Alfredo Lim was flustered when someone told him that jueteng is back.

Last Thursday, a close aide of Lim who attended a reunion at the Nueva Ecija High School (NEHS) here, when sought for comment about the resurgence of jueteng in the province, said that such a question should be addressed to the police, not to them.

"Dapat ke Colonel Hiteroza mo itanong ‘yan, hindi sa ‘min (You should ask Colonel Hiteroza about that, not us)," Col. Francisco Bautista, special assistant/consultant of the DILG Secretary, told The STAR.

The STAR called up Hiteroza several times last Saturday but he could not be contacted.

Meanwhile, police investigators in Camp Olivas, Pampanga tagged the Viceo brothers as the alleged jueteng operators in at least 17 towns of Bulacan, raking in P5 million a month for the past three months despite of the "total stop" directive from higher police authorities.

Police sources said the Viceo brothers, headed by former San Rafael Mayor Jaime "Boy" Viceo, who has the biggest area of operations, followed by Abet Viceo covering six towns, while the rest are being run by Tony Santos, Tony Galgana of Caloocan City and a certain "Ofring" of Meycauayan.

He said the Viceos continued their operations "freely" defying the "total stop" directive of Chief Supt. Roberto Calinisan, Central Luzon police director.

Jueteng and other illegal gambling have been reported rampant in the towns of Malolos, Plaridel, Baliuag, Pulilan, Bocaue, San Jose del Monte, San Rafael, Guiguinto, Angat, Bustos, San Ildefonso, Sta. Maria, San Miguel, Balagtas, Meycauayan, Obando, and Calumpit.

In Pampanga, a certain "Ngongo" lords it over other small time jueteng operators, taking under his operation almost all municipalities in the province.

Other jueteng operators in Pampanga who continue to defy the "stop" order were Otto Balboa, Mario Garcia, and a certain Paris.

Meantime, in Bataan, a certain Aling Thelma operates in Dinalupihan and nearby Hermosa towns.

In Olongapo City and Zambales, a certain Peping Beladan and Romeo Dyanki, alias "Cabrera" and a certain "Tarzan" have been raking in P10 million a month from their jueteng operations. — With Ric Sapnu