Pangasinan mayors snub Lina in forum

DAGUPAN CITY — They were invited, but they chose not to go in an obvious snub of the guest of honor.

Pangasinan’s 48 city and town mayors boycotted Saturday’s forum dubbed Usapang Lalaki organized by the local Baptist Church which had Interior and Local Government Secretary as guest speaker.

Why? Sto. Tomas Mayor Antonio Villar Jr., a senior adviser to the Pangasinan Mayors’ League, said they had anticipated that Lina "would lecture on jueteng again."

Indeed, Lina did, warning local executives of sanctions should the illegal numbers game — which he called "the mother of all corruptions" — is found to have resurfaced in their respective areas.

Lina even revealed that despite the anti-jueteng drive, this illegal form of illegal gambling has been revived not only in certain towns of Pangasinan but throughout Luzon.

Villar said mayors have tried their best to stop jueteng but that it cannot be done overnight.

He said there are more pressing problems like drug trafficking and kidnapping which police should address.

Second district Rep. Amado Espino Jr. said Lina’s threat of sanctions against mayors who fail to curb jueteng is unfair.

"These mayors are elected by the people while Secretary Lina was just appointed by the President. The mayors have their constituents, and the secretary, if he is indeed sincere, should help us provide alternative livelihood to those unschooled cobradores and cabos, instead of abruptly stopping their only means of livelihood," Espino said.