Pangasinan round-up: Bet collectors working for EZ2, not jueteng

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — In their initial operation the other day to verify reports that jueteng has resurfaced in the province, elements of Task Force Anti-Illegal Gambling rounded up 11 bet collectors in Urdaneta City and San Jacinto and Urbiztondo towns.

However, the operatives of the task force, who belongs to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at Camp Crame, were surprised because the bet collectors "invited for questioning," turned out to be working for the government-sanctioned "EZ2," not jueteng.

The task force subsequently released the bet collectors Tuesday night for lack of evidence that they were involved in jueteng.

The task force operatives also swooped down on San Fabian, hometown of Chief Superintendent Alfredo de Vera, Ilocos regional director, but they said their operation yielded nothing.

Prior to the bet collectors’ release, Senior Superintendent Alex Gutierrez, who supervised the task force’s operation in Pangasinan, admitted though that they could not say if the bet collectors were, indeed, not involved in jueteng because they carried EZ2 paraphernalia and identification cards from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Their papelitos (where bets are noted down) showed bets of P10, which is the minimum for EZ2.

Although the bet collectors could also be working for jueteng operators, Gutierrez said they have to verify this further.

"Kung makalusot sila ngayon, siguro sa susunod hindi na kasi babantayan na natin nang husto (If they could get away with it now, perhaps not in the next operation because we will really guard them tightly)," Gutierrez said.

He said his team will continue conducting raids in Pangasinan for as long as there are reports about jueteng resumption in the province.

For his part, Superintendent Federico Castro Jr., CIDG-Region 1 officer, said they were acting on reports reaching Camp Crame that the illegal numbers game has returned to Pangasinan.

Castro said it is saddening that politics has come into the picture, adding that some people perhaps only wanted to discredit their political opponents by peddling reports about jueteng’s resurgence. "Parang nagiging paninira lang sa kapwa (It looks like it has become a means to destroy someone)," he said.

"Sana naman huwag lang yong haka-haka at bigyan kami ng more concrete information (We hope the reports are not just based on hearsay and they should give us more concrete information)," Castro said.

Despite the negative results of their initial operation, Castro said they will not yet declare Pangasinan jueteng-free.

"Di kami titigil hanggang may report kaming natatanggap (We will not stop for as long as we continue to receive reports)," he said.

He gave assurance that the Philippine National Police is doing its part in eradicating jueteng.

Informed about the task force’s initial operation, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, chairman of Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng, said EZ2 is a "cover-up for either bookies or jueteng."

"I hope the Anti-Jueteng Task Force will be wise. Otherwise, the bookies and jueteng operators would pull the rug under their feet," he said.

He added: "I am impressed with the concern and the effort (of the police) but more than the concern and the effort, we want results."

Castro admitted that they feel more pressure in Pangasinan because Cruz is based here, besides the fact that PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao hails from the province, particularly Mangaldan town.