Relief of 12 Luzon police chiefs over jueteng sought

Twelve police chiefs in Luzon have been recommended for relief for their supposed failure to stop jueteng in their respective turfs.

This comes a day before the Sept. 30 deadline given by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Calderon to regional, provincial, city and municipal police chiefs to stamp out the illegal numbers game in their areas of jurisdiction.

Director Jesus Verzosa, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), made the recommendation after the Anti-Illegal Gambling Special Operations Task Force (AIG-SOTF) conducted 11 successful anti-jueteng operations from Aug. 31 to Sept. 25 in the turfs of the 12 police chiefs.

The raids were made in the municipalities of San Agustin, Benito, Soliven, Echague, and Jones, all in Isabela; Calumpit in Bulacan; Naic in Cavite, Pagbilao in Quezon; Tanauan and Batangas City in Batangas; and Tabaco in Albay.

The CIDG operatives rounded up 107 jueteng personnel and confiscated gambling paraphernalia and a total of P25,070.75 in cash bets.

Verzosa said the police chiefs of cities and towns where jueteng remains rampant should be immediately relieved in line with the PNP’s "one-strike policy."

Calderon earlier vowed to eradicate jueteng by the end of September and warned that he would not hesitate to immediately relieve any police chief who failed to stamp out jueteng in his turf.

The PNP has admitted that jueteng has returned in certain parts of country as gambling operators took advantage of the government-sanctioned small town lottery. — Cecille Suerte Felipe