EDITORIAL - Hit them where it hurts

Once again, rampant illegal gambling was denounced yesterday at a congressional hearing. Previous sessions on jueteng were meatier: individuals tagged as the nation’s most notorious illegal gambling barons were identified. Yesterday, Rico Puno simply denied coddling gambling lords or being remiss in his duty when he was the undersecretary for peace and order at the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

For many years now, investigations and the identification of suspected gambling lords have failed to put an end to the numerous forms of illegal but popular numbers games nationwide. The same names keep cropping up in every investigation, but the only thing that has happened is that several of the personalities have gone legit, successfully entering politics and business.

Penalties for illegal gambling used to be so laughably low many cops considered regular raids and roundups of gambling personnel as a waste of time. The penalties have since increased, but the lack of will to enforce the law remains. Jueteng payola is difficult to prove and stamp out. Proposals have been made to legalize jueteng, if only to curb the corruption that it engenders, but the idea has not taken off.

There are other ways, however, of going after illegal gambling operators. The Bureau of Internal Revenue can zero in on the individuals long suspected of involvement in illegal gambling operations, together with their coddlers; tax evasion is certain in these cases. Local government executives can be investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman for unexplained wealth. With sufficient cause, the Anti-Money Laundering Council can step in, preventing jueteng lords from enjoying the proceeds of their illegal activity.

There have been enough congressional probes into jueteng operations. The government of daang matuwid, if it is serious in eradicating this activity short of legalizing it, should hit gambling barons and their coddlers where it hurts. If they can’t be sent to prison for the gambling itself, they should be prevented from enjoying the profits of crime.