‘Batangas not jueteng-free’

Lipa City, Batangas — "The truth is that vice has never been so rampant as now."

Thus said Lipa City Archbishop Ramon Arguelles as he categorically denied that Batan—gas is now jueteng-free, as the Philippine National Police (PNP) has claimed.

"Nowadays, jueteng makes almost daily headlines. There are individuals and groups who approach priests to certify that Batangas or any part thereof is free of illegal gambling," the archbishop said in a text message to reporters.

Arguelles thus appealed to Batangas priests to be prudent and truthful and refrain from making statements that the province is gambling-free.

Arguelles, former chairman of the Episcopal Commission on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, succeeded Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, now the Manila prelate, as Lipa City archbishop.

Arguelles was reacting to the pronouncement of PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomi—bao that the entire Luzon is now jueteng free.

Lomibao earlier told the fact-finding panel of the Department of Justice that the illegal numbers game had ceased not only in five regions, but throughout Luzon.

He added that a province is only declared jueteng-free if there is a certification signed by the local police chief, the mayors and religious leaders.

For his part, Chief Superintendent Florante Baguio, former Batangas police director and current chief of the PNP’s Special Anti-Illegal Gambling Task Force, declared the entire Luzon "99 percent" free of jueteng.

Baguio said only Pulilio Island has not submitted its certification, that is why Luzon is only "99 percent" jueteng-free.

The last region to declare itself jueteng-free was Region IV-A or the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), he said.

Senior Superintendent Francisco Don Montenegro, in an interview with The STAR, down—played Arguelles’ statement, saying he is certain that jueteng no longer exists in Batangas.