Bacalzo: No evidence vs jueteng lords

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) does not possess any evidence against suspected jueteng lords like Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda of Lubao, Pampanga.

“We have verified the list of suspected jueteng lords and alleged recipients of jueteng payola, but we found no evidence against them,” PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo has told the House committee on good government.

Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz has submitted the list to both the Senate and the House.

Heading the list of suspected illegal gambling lords is Pineda, while the alleged jueteng payola recipients include former PNP chief Jesus Versoza and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno.

President Aquino has designated Puno as directly in charge of the PNP instead of Puno’s boss at the local government department, Secretary Jesse Robredo.

“That is the score, your honors, with apologies to Bishop Cruz,” Bacalzo said. He was seated near Puno, his immediate boss.

He said police forces have been busting illegal gambling operations and arresting people involved but have failed to pin down financiers and the big names behind such activities.

He said those taken in always refuse to talk about the jueteng lords.

Puno denied he received jueteng money, though he admitted that Pineda once tried to arrange an appointment with him.

Isabela Rep. Napoleon Dy, who is on Cruz’s list of jueteng operators, denied he’s into illegal gambling.

“The one who is into gambling in Isabela is a locator at the Cagayan special economic zone,” he said.

“We have to accept your denials, that’s the end of the story,” Cruz told Puno and Dy.

Bacalzo also told congressmen that the existence of STL (small town lottery) in many towns and cities has made the job of the police in stopping jueteng more difficult.

“We don’t know anymore which is legal and which is illegal,” he said.

He said in some areas where the police officers are convinced that there is jueteng and they try to stop it by arresting those involved, “our people end up being sued by the financiers who claim they are STL operators.”

STL is a project of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Many of its STL franchisees are suspected jueteng lords. One of them is Pineda.