SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – “No jueteng in Pampanga.”
This was the conclusion arrived during yesterday’s meeting led by Gov. Eddie Panlilio on the creation of an anti-jueteng Council by virtue of Executive Order No. 2007-47-ETP.
The council’s meeting attended by municipal mayors Jerry Pelayo (Candaba), Edgar Flores (Minalin), Eddie Guerrero (Floridablanca), Rodrigo Canlas (San Simon), Lyndon Cunanan (Magalang), Teddy Tumang (Mexico), some members of the provincial board led by Cris Garbo and Joel Simpauco, some religious and civil society groups and Pampanga Police Provincial Office, Officer-in-Charge Senior Superintendent Gil Lebin Jr.,
The said officials also comprised the officers and member of the anti-jueteng council.
The governor was assured by the Pampanga Mayor’s League that they are supportive of the provincial government’s desire to strengthen the drive against alleged jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling.
Mayor Dennis Pineda, PML president stated in his letter to Panlilio dated March 12, that they adhere to the directive of the President to curb and stop all forms of illegal gambling activities in the province.
“Your act now, has been what we were doing long in the past and that has been continuously ongoing, that is, making sure our constituents are provided with different tools such as skills trainings, micro finance facility, livelihood and similar programs to combat poverty which is why some of our people resort to illegal activities,” said Pineda.
Panlilio was amenable that he has not established the difference between Small Town Lottery and jueteng, in spite of the fact that he has placed jueteng bets for several times.
If the governor, Pelayo said, has no solid evidence that can substantiate his claim, then he may be resorting to hearsays.
During the council’s meeting, the governor said he suspected that jueteng is being camouflaged by STL, however, he was amenable that he has no capacity to determine whether the numbers game is STL or jueteng.
Garbo said there is a need to differentiate STL from jueteng before jumping into conclusion that what is taking place is numbers game.
Pelayo said the governor should invite the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the agency tasked to implement Small Town Lottery (STL) to determine which one is STL and point out also which one is jueteng.
He said that as far as the mayors are concerned, he said, what is taking place in their respective municipalities is STL and not jueteng.
The council members concluded that PCSO should take the lead in the fight against jueteng because they are directly affected by the illegal numbers game if that really exists in the province.
Pelayo said they and all the municipal chief executives in the province are giving their 100 percent support to the anti-jueteng council created by Panlilio.