Lacson glad Duterte denied he’d let up on ‘jueteng’

Sen. Panfilo Lacson reacted positively to President Duterte’s denial that he would let up on the illegal numbers game “jueteng” in the absence of better income-generating alternatives in the provinces.

“It’s good that he clarified his pronouncement on jueteng so the police officers will not get the wrong signal or false impression of how most of us who heard his comments have interpreted his statement,” Lacson said in a text message. “Otherwise, the outcome would be disastrous to the overall mission of the PNP (Philippine National Police).”

He said he did not misunderstand Mr. Duterte’s initial statements that seemed to imply he wanted the police to let up on jueteng.

Lacson, the PNP chief from 1999 to 2001, had reminded officers that following an illegal order was “not a valid legal defense in court,” even if it came from the President. —DJ Yap